Miraculous: Marinette's Wedding
by KandyKate
Summary: With a bouncing baby girl in the picture, Marinette prepares for her big day with her new family, but not without some bumps and bruises along the way. What happens when Marinette comes face to face with her most toughest enemy? Fourth and final installment of the "Marinette's baby series." All characters of age 18 May contain NSFW. Read at your own risk I own no characters
1. Chapter 1

Louis held on to his black cat stuffie, a nervous glance on his face.

He was confused. He had spent the night at his grandparents house, and even after, they all had to get up so early and leave.

He missed his mom and his dad. He usually enjoyed sleepovers but this one was a bit more rushed than what he was comfortable with.

He was awoken up in the middle of the night.

He couldn't find his mother, and despite his father's attempts to comfort him as he was dropped off at his grandparents' home, he couldn't quite understand what was happening.

He cuddled next to his grandmother and tried to sleep but it turned out to be more difficult than he had initially expected.

Needless to say, Louis was incredibly tired as his father picked him up the next morning.

It was like a family outing, Louis had never seen so many of his family members together at once.

Louis held on to his father, his eyes wandering up towards the pale lights. He wasn't familiar with this strange place, but Louis had a hunch his mother was here.

Why else would all his other family members be here?

"Mommy said she missed you..." his father murmured to him.

Louis glanced up, his eyes widened at the thought of his mother wanting to see him again.

"Mom?" Louis asked, his grip on his father only growing tighter as they entered an unfamiliar room.

There were so many familiar faces. He saw his grandpa and grandma. He even saw his great grandmother and his great great uncle. He spotted his auntie Alya and his uncle Nino

It was incredibly riveting to the toddler. It felt like some sort of birthday party.

Louis' blue eyes only grew wider the moment he spotted his mother.

She lay in a bed, her arms wrapped around a pink blanket. Louis furrowed his brow, cocking his head to the side as he glanced over to her curiously.

His father very gently placed him on to the bed, the toddler hesitating to move towards his mother.

All that hesitation washed away the moment his mother smiled at him.

Her presence itself filled him with such a warmth, Louis found himself crawling over towards her with no regards to the pink blanket she held.

The toddler spotted his father move beside his mother. His arm very carefully wrapped around her shoulder, tugging her close.

"Louis..." his mother murmured. "I'd like you to meet your little sister, Emma..." his mother very gently opened the pink blanket.

Louis' eyes widened with curiosity. A deep blush coated his cheeks as he moved closer.

Inside the pink blanket was the most beautiful baby he had ever seen.

A sweet baby girl cooed, her eyes remaining closed.

She had sported dark hair just like their mom and the thickest lashes he had ever seen.

Louis blinked slowly, watching the baby move her head within their mother's arms.

A small smile swept on to his face as he had a new friend to play with along with his other little friends Tikki and Plagg.

Emma Agreste.

Baby sister to Louis Agreste.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe you and Adrien had another baby born with a full head of hair!" Alya exclaimed, gingerly reaching over to loop a piece of Emma's dark hair around her finger.

"She looks so much like you..."

Marinette smiled, glancing down to admire her little girl who simply nuzzled into the pink blankets as she suckled on to her pacifier.

"I know, I'm actually glad I have a mini me." Marinette admitted bashfully.

"Louis takes after his father and now I'm glad Emma takes a bit after me. So there's a mini Mari and a mini Adrien too."

Alya snorted at her comrade's comment.

"That sounds a little narcissistic..." the female teased, holding her arms out implying that she wanted to hold the little one.

Marinette carefully placed the new born into Alya's arms.

Alya cooed, glancing down at the baby who remained peacefully asleep.

The baby had been passed around quite a lot that evening, it was almost like a lullaby to her.

"She's beautiful, Marinette..." Alya whispered. The brunette carefully glanced over to Nino who peered over her shoulder to get a better look at the baby.

Nino smiled, reaching down to caress his finger over the baby's freckled cheek.

"Kinda makes me want one..." Nino smiled.

Alya carefully nudged her boyfriend, small blush on her cheeks.

"You can't have that one..." Marinette chuckled. "I just got her..." the blunette glanced down at her son, who was nuzzled into her sides as they awaited Adrien to return with some food in the cafeteria.

"You can't have this one either..." Marinette wrapped her arm around her son and tugged him closer. Her blue eyes teasingly peered over to her friends as they both cooed over her newborn.

"Guess that means you'll have to get your own."

Alya snorted, very carefully passing the baby over to Nino who began to rub his nose against the little one's nose.

"I guess that means we do..." Alya's voice was tender as her hand very gently began to slide over towards Nino's arm.

"We really should be going..." She murmured, very carefully standing up to stretch. "I'm having dinner with Nino's parents and I don't want to be late. I really want them to like me."

Marinette perked her brow, her lips pursing as her blue eyes flickered between the two.

"Oh? Dinner with parents? Sounds like you guys are getting serious..."

Nino very gently stood up, passing Emma back to her mother who was incredibly anxious to get her baby back.

"They already like you..." Nino rasped as he stood up straighter. "You're just being paranoid..."

Alya crossed her arms, her head shaking with a warm smile.

"You can never be too sure, Nino..." her eyes shifted back to the little one in Marinette's arms.

"Anyway... congrats on the new bundle of joy. I promise we will be here when you guys get home tomorrow." Alya assured, leaning down to press a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Marinette closed her eyes, a blush forming on her cheeks as Nino leaned down to kiss her head as well.

She felt like a child with a child. Nino and Alya were like her parents and she didn't know why that thought seemed funny to her.

"Enjoy your dinner you two." Marinette smiled, watching as her friends waved to her and exited.

The bluenette sighed, glancing down at her baby who began to wiggle around in her blanket.

Louis had trouble keeping his eyes open. A small whimper escaped his lips as he nuzzled into his mother's side.

"Wow... she looks just like you." Tikki whispered, poking her head out from behind Louis' hooded sweatshirt

Marinette smiled, shifting her gaze down to Tikki.

"She does..." Marinette giggled softly. "Thanks for staying with Louis overnight. I thought he'd be confused and distressed at my parents house. I didn't expect to go into labor that quickly." Marinette reached over to run her fingers through her son's hair.

The little Kwami nuzzled into the child's cheek.

"I don't think he slept well at all. It was hard to entertain him, your parents were always around so I had to hide. But at night I tried to talk him into sleeping. I don't think it worked well."

Marinette frowned, her hand caressing his hair.

"My poor baby..."

Marinette glanced up, Tikki hiding behind her shoulder as the door opened and Adrien stepped inside with a bag of food.

"They didn't have anything here. So I went to the diner..." Adrien explained, pausing as he saw the toddler completely knocked out beside his fiance.

"Oh...I'm not interrupting anything; Am I?" He asked, his green eyes shifting back to Tikki who more courageously poked her head out for him to see.

"Who cares?!" Plagg exclaimed, quickly emerging from the pocket of Adrien's shirt. "We got the food, now let's eat!"

The little kwami sat on the foot of the hospital bed, his green eyes looking up expectantly at his chosen.

Adrien sighed, digging into the bag of food and placing a piece of cheese in front of him.

"You'll have to settle for cheddar."

Adrien didn't let his kwami have a word in edgewise, he was immediately at his fiance's side.

"So. I think I got some fries and some other stuff, I wasn't really sure what to were craving." Adrien admitted sheepishly.

"I think I'm more worried about Louis eating. Tikki tells me he wasn't able to get any sleep..." Marinette leaned into the bed.

Adrien glanced over at his sleeping child.

"Poor little guy." Adrien shook his head. "He's gonna have to get up, I want to make sure he eats. Then perhaps he'll go back to sleep..." Adrien chuckled, moving over to the other side to lift his son into his arms.

Marinette blinked, a small smile on her face as she looked at her two boys.

"That's if he doesn't kill you for waking him up."

Louis whined, his arms and legs kicking as he didn't want to be held, he just wanted to sleep.

"No!" The toddler whined. "Be nice! Be. Nice!" A small frown tugged at his lips as he glanced up at his father.

Adrien climbed into the spot beside Mari, and then reached into the food bag to pull out a few fries.

"I know buddy, but eat a few fries and I'll let you go back to sleep. I need to know you've at least eaten something."

Louis sniffled, his small hand grabbing on to a few fries and sleepily stuffing them into his mouth.

Marinette chuckled at how stubborn her child was. She began to dig into the bag to pick out a few fries for herself.

"Mmmm..." she hummed, not entirely realizing how hungry she was.

Adrien glanced at his phone, locking the screen and tossing it to the side with a grimace.

Marinette paused, leaning more so into her love.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her free hand very carefully grabbing on to his.

Adrien nodded, turning his head to give her a small kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah..." the blonde confessed with a sigh. "It's just that...now that we're back from our vacation and we've finally got Emma, we have to start adulting again..."

Marinette pressed her lips together.

"Adulting?" She asked, perking a brow curiously.

Adrien nodded, cuddling Louis close to him.

Louis whined, wiggling against his father's form of love. The toddler scoffed, his brow furrowing as he couldn't fight him off. The little eventually gave up, allowing his father to cuddle him even if he didn't want to.

Louis was too tired to fight, he barely could even remember that he had a younger sibling to look after.

He pressed his lips together, slowly closing his eyes as he couldn't fight off the fatigue any longer.

"Yeah. My father's already talking about the guest lists for our wedding. He's inviting distant family members and that makes me nervous for some reason..." the blonde explained, watching as Marinette began to pick at some more of her food.

"I don't think that's so bad." Marinette shrugged, popping a fry into her mouth.

"I mean...you'll have me here with you plus we still have to pick out a dress, we have to pay the caterers and my parents offered to make the cake." Marinette glanced back at her newborn.

"At least this time, Emma and Louis can be a part of the ceremony."

Emma whimpered, her pacifier falling from her mouth. The little baby clenched her fists, her mouth opening and closing as she looked for a nipple to latch on to.

"I think she's hungry..." Adrien chuckled, squeezing onto his toddler with a small smile.

Marinette rolled her eyes, shifting so that the baby could latch on to her. It was hard to think that Louis was this small at one point.

She cuddled into her newborn, her chest feeling warm and sentimental.

"It's surprising to think that Louis was once like this... now he's all big and doesn't love cuddles from us." Marinette pouted. "Emma will one day get that big too and then they're off to school, getting jobs, getting married and then we wont have them anymore..."

Marinette breathed out, tears pooling in her eyes at the thought.

Adrien shook his head, looping his free arm around her and tugging her close.

"Don't upset yourself, Marinette. That won't happen for another twenty years or so..." he pressed a small kiss to the top of her head.

"But...I did manage to pull some strings and got you a gift that might actually make you cry..." Adrien grinned.

Marinette sniffled, turning her head to look at him with narrow eyes.

"Oh? Are you going to take me on a date every night until we die of old age?" She asked, perking a brow mainly to tease him.

Adrien chuckled, pursing his lips.

"Aside from that...but...I did manage to grab you a wedding dress. Now I haven't seen it, I promise I won't give us bad luck. But I trust the two people I've put together who designed it and finished it up for you."

Marinette's heart began to race, she couldn't even focus on Emma suckling on her.

She sat up, her eyes widening.

"No-" she breathed, her irises shifting to Adrien who remained still on the bed with their son.

"Oh yeah-" he grinned in response.


	3. Chapter 3

"WHAT KIND OF SURPRISE IS THIS?!"

Adrien chuckled, even when Marinette screamed she was still adorable.

Granted, Adrien had gotten into the habit of surprising his little lady; despite the many instances where Marinette thoroughly explained that she wasn't too fond of surprises.

"A wedding surprise!" Adrien chimed in, reaching over to tug on the wedding dress bag. "Now. I haven't seen it yet...but I'm sure it'll look beautiful on you..."

Marinette felt her heart nearly jump out of her chest. Her skin becoming damp with sweat as her fingers lightly traced over Gabriel Agreste's namebrand seal alongside of the collab seal from Audrey Bourgeois.

She had just gotten out of the hospital with their newborn, Marinette wasn't sure that she could even handle all of this at once.

"How...how do I even know if I fit in this?" Marinette asked, a small pout forming on her lips even as Tikki poked her head out to glance at her chosen.

Adrien very gently wrapped his arms around her. His cheek pressed against hers delicately and he sighed.

"Did you poop?" He asked, pulling back to look at her. "I think I read somewhere that women can't poop after they've given birth. Maybe you should try to take a really big poop and try on the dress..."

Marinette sighed, her bangs falling flat against her face.

Sometimes she couldn't believe him. She felt like she was still involved with a teen.

"I don't know where you've read that from...but since you asked, no. I have not pooped since we left the hospital." Marinette deadpanned. "But I doubt that it'd make the dress fit..."

Adrien chuckled, his nose rubbing against her cheek.

"Just try it on. You'd be surprised..." his green eyes shifted over to the kwami on her shoulder.

"I suppose you're right..."Marinette sighed in response. She reached up and gripped on to the zipper of the dress cover. She was ready to undo it and finally have her first look at the dress that both Audrey and Gabriel had designed for her.

"Wait-" Adrien interjected, his eyes wide as he reached out and stilled her hands from moving any further.

Marinette blinked, her lips parted as she breathed softly. She glanced back at him nervously, a small blush dusting against her freckled cheeks.

"W-What?" She asked, the male nearly frightening the air out of her.

"You can't open it while I'm here..." Adrien pouted. "Its bad luck to see the dress before the wedding..."

Marinette rolled her eyes, immediately letting go of the zipper.

"Fine...don't you have somewhere to be?" Marinette asked, perking a brow as her eyes briefly moved to her sleeping newborn in the baby rocker.

Adrien pressed his lips together. He almost wanted to bail. Obviously not from the wedding, but from what duties came along with it.

Adrien was meant to return to his father's mansion where he had to reintroduce himself to distant relatives who came to witness the event.

Some of them Adrien wasn't too fond of. That much was evident, even to his father.

"Thanks for the reminder..." the blonde sighed, his green eyes shifted around the room. "Do you think I could borrow some company? You know...so I won't be alone?" He inquired, perking a brow with a nervous glance.

Marinette furrowed her brow, very gently crossing her arms. She parted her lips, about ready to say something when Adrien immediately cut her off.

"Someone that's not Plagg..."

Marinette pressed her lips together.

"Well, looks like you've got me. But I'm stuck here with a lot of pooping to do." Marinette shrugged, glancing back at him.

Adrien reached up to rub the back of his neck.

"Actually, I was hoping I could borrow Louis. My cousin Felix is flying in and he honestly makes me just a little bit uncomfortable. I genuinely believe he's some sort of sadist. I was hoping I could keep Louis around so that I have an excuse to leave early..." his voice trailed off.

Marinette reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"I'm not too sure if I'm comfortable with that. I mean, if your cousin really is a sadist I don't think I want that around our child. It's already bad enough that I kinda don't feel comfortable with you or Louis in your father's home either..." the blunette admitted bashfully.

"You don't trust my father?" The blonde inquired, his brow furrowing as his hand dropped to his side. The male stood up, reaching for his sneakers.

Marinette frowned.

"It's not that I don't trust him, I just have a bad feeling everytime I'm there...it just seems like a cold place to live. I don't know how you did it for all these years..."

Adrien stepped into his sneakers, his kwami poking his head out from the collar of his shirt.

Tikki sat atop Marinette's shoulder, turning her gaze back to Plagg who shrugged in response.

Plagg lived with Adrien for many years in his father's home. He never detected anything outside of the ordinary.

"All the more reason to take the little guy so we both won't be alone. I'll say my hellos to Felix, my father, my other cousins, my aunts and uncles and then I can haul ass out of there back to you and Emma."

Marinette pressed her lips together, still unsure about letting him take their toddler. It went without saying that their children belonged to both of them, but Marinette often found herself more worried when it came to where they had their kids.

"J-Just...take a few snacks so that he doesn't get too hungry. If he gets sleepy, you need to leave right away." Marinette breathed, finally giving in.

Adrien perked up, a wide smile on his face as he immediately wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Thank you so much. I promise I'll be back in about an hour or two." He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her head.

Marinette frowned, watching him pull away to leave the room to find Louis.

"It'll be okay." Tikki murmured from behind her. "Plagg will be with them..."

Marinette subtly nodded, still unable to shake the uneasy feeling that brewed in the pits of her stomach.

"I guess I just worry for my boys..." Marinette confessed, a small blush on her cheeks. "Plagg included...but I guess I should trust Adrien..." she glanced back at Tikki.

"Daaaddd!" Louis whined, tripping on his feet as Adrien nearly tugged the little one out the door. The toddler paused, reaching up to rub his eyes.

"Don't worry buddy, we'll make it quick. Mommy's got to take a poop, we'll see grandpa and then we'll come right home when mommy's done."

Louis blinked, glancing back at Marinette who shook her head.

"Make sure his shoes are tied..." Marinette groaned, watching as Adrien grabbed the little one and placed him on to his shoulders.

"I love you!" Adrien called, rushing out the door.

"I love you too..." Marinette whispered, the door closing before she could really get the words out.

She remained silent, wondering if Adrien knew she wasn't going to actually poop in order to fit into this dress.

"I guess it's just us girls..." Marinette murmured, glancing back at her kwami. The blunette turned herself, pulling out her phone to snap a couple pictures of her newborn and sent them to her parents and Alya.

"I guess I should put on this dress...I'm sure Alya would want to get a better look..." Marinette stood up, stretching slightly.

She paused, her kwami floating over towards Emma who began to fuss in her rocking chair.

"Oh! Looks like someone is hungry!" Tikki piped, squirming away as Emma opened her mouth, turning her head in Tikki's direction in hopes to find something to suckle on.

Marinette set her phone to the side, reaching down to lift the little one in her arms.

"I guess I have some time to nurse..." Marinette smiled, nuzzling into her daughter. "I've missed this bonding time."

The blunette turned, moving over to her nursing chair. She sat down, looking down at her little one who began to squirm in her arms.

She began to tug her shirt down, offering the little one her breast before she finally latched.

Tikki floated back on to Marinette's shoulder, watching the little one with a small smile.

"She looks just like you..." she whispered.

Marinette smiled, reaching over to loop a strand of her dark hair around her finger.

"Yeah...my mini me..." she chuckled.

It was a tender moment, but Marinette still couldn't help but to worry about her boys who were now traveling across the town to visit distant relatives.


	4. Chapter 4

Uncomfortable.

If one word was used to describe Adrien's current situation it would be just that.

He wouldn't have minded family reunions if his family actually felt like family.

Adrien wanted to believe his father loved him at one point, but that feeling washed away long ago. Often times Adrien was convinced his distant relatives were as dead as he was.

It was all about presentation.

It was all about the name.

There was no chance in hell that his family actually came here to catch up and meet the new family.

Not one of them asked to see Louis.

Even Adrien thought that some of his relatives weren't particularly good company.

Which is why when he saw Felix, the model spun on his heels and hauled ass to a different trajectory.

Adrien leaned against his son who held on to him nervously.

Louis was always keen on meeting new people, but this didn't feel like a type of event to meet new people.

The male sighed, as he kept his arms around his son. His green eyes glanced around in search of a familiar face.

He couldn't recognize anyone else in the room.

The blonde awkwardly wondered towards his father's work area, his heart palpitating the moment he approached the large doors.

It didn't matter how long ago he moved out and it certainly didn't matter how much older he got.

The fear he felt within himself that always sparked when he was around these doors never really went away.

"Adrien." A voice emanated from behind him so suddenly it almost made him jump out of his skin.

The blonde turned around quickly, but not quickly enough to give his little one whiplash.

Nathalie stood behind him awkwardly, her eyes flickering between the doors and Adrien.

"Your father wants you to catch up with your relatives. They'll all be here for the wedding. He wants you to create a guest list. See who wants to sit where..." she explained, reaching over to run her fingers through Louis' hair.

Louis smiled up at Nathalie, taking a liking to his grandfather's assistant. It was no secret that Louis loved his grandparents on both his mother's and father's side.

"Don't you think it's incredibly impertinent to throw a huge party and then not be around to entertain your guests?" Adrien asked, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

Nathalie glanced back at Adrien impassively.

"This party is for your wedding. Your family members are excited for this milestone."

Adrien furrowed his brow.

"But this was all my father's idea. I didn't want any of this. You know it's not really my thing to make a huge deal out of things. Especially to family members I barely know..." the blonde glanced down at his son who held on to him.

"Besides, I think Louis is getting tired. I have to go home and put him to bed..."

Nathalie glanced at Louis who peered back at her.

"Mommy is pooping..." he said promptly, a small pout on his face.

"A big big BIG poop!"

Nathalie widened her eyes, her orbs flickering between both Adrien and his son.

Adrien shook his head, dismissing his toddler's comment with a nervous smile.

"It's...a long story..."

Nathalie parted her lips, about ready to speak when her eyes flickered to a figure behind him.

"I didn't think you'd be the one to have children right before marriage..." a familiar voice emanated from behind him.

Nathalie glanced back at Adrien, she took a step back, bowed and she left.

Adrien flinched into his son, the voice behind him sending a shiver down his spine.

"Felix..." he breathed, nervously turning back to stare at his cousin. "I'm glad you were able to make it..."

Adrien could feel his heart pound in his chest. He hadn't the slightest idea why, but his cousin put him on edge. For a brief moment Adrien completely regretted bringing Louis along with him.

Felix approached Adrien, his blue eyes glancing over to Louis who hid against Adrien.

"I heard you quit." Felix murmured, reaching over to caress Louis' hair. "Goody two shoes grew a back bone? Or did your father have something else for you to do?" He teased, a wide grin spreading across his face.

Adrien remained impassive, a small sigh escaped his lips as this was something he went through as a child when it came to his cousin.

"I'd like to say it was temporary. When I return I was hoping to be under new management. My wife is planning to open a shop in the city. I'd be more than happy to work for her." Adrien deadpanned, taking a few steps back as he was tempted to just leave.

Felix nodded, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his dress pants as he pursed his lips.

"Ah. Marinette. The lovely bride. Very beautiful girl..." he pondered, shifting his weight. "I thought I head a rumor somewhere that she passed away. Glad to see she's alive and well."

Adrien widened his eyes, his cousin's words hitting his chest like daggers. It rattled his core obviously enough for Louis to sense it.

The toddler nuzzled against his father with a grimace.

"S-She is fine..." Adrien replied, his voice quivering at the memory of losing Marinette once more.

It was a traumatic event and despite the many times Adrien wanted to deny it, he couldn't forget about it.

"Interesting. I always knew Ladybug could restore order, but I had no idea she could undo death. I wonder how she managed that?" Felix asked, biting his bottom lip.

Adrien sighed, his heart aching in his chest as the subject struck a nerve.

"It was Lila who undid it. Hawkmoth gave her the power to manipulate time. She gave me my wife back and I'm grateful for the time I have and will always spend with her." Adrien replied, his eyes shifting to his son who glanced up at him curiously.

"This Hawkmoth character is interesting." Felix interjected, his hand reaching up to rub his chin. "Have any idea who he is?"

Adrien clenched his jaw.

"How the fuck would I know who he is?" He spat. "Don't you think if anyone knew, Ladybug and Chat Noir would have got him already?"

Louis gasped, his eyes wide with perplexity at his father's vulgar choice of words. The toddler cupped his hands over his ears to block out the noise the way his mother taught him to.

Felix widened his eyes, a small smile on his features as he noticed how irritated Adrien was.

He never changed, Adrien acted the same way whenever Felix teased him as a child.

"So what you're saying is...you don't even know if she's really alive? What if all of this is some sort of dream or hallucination? I mean, it's a huge possiblity. I know you've been thinking about the what ifs..." Felix's voice trailed off.

Adrien glanced down at his toddler, a grave expression on his face.

He was right.

Adrien often woke up in the middle of the night, worried that everything he was experiencing was just a dream.

"I guess that makes you a clever metaphor then..." Adrien murmured, knowing his cousin was only picking on him, but often dropping to an all time low. "Thanks for coming..." the male sighed, immediately feeling small.

Louis glanced up at his father and then at Felix as Adrien turned and began to walk to the front doors, not even caring for the relatives that stopped and attempted to engage a conversation with the two of them.

"Mean! That's mean!" Louis frowned, his blue eyes bubbling over to Felix who stood behind to watch curiously.

"Be nice..." the toddler murmured shyly before he leaned back into his father with a grimace.

Louis didn't like seeing his father sad and it was known that the toddler would stand up for his father if he needed to.

Adrien exited the front doors, the fresh air filling his lungs as he finally escaped the hellhole where he used to live.

"Thanks buddy..." Adrien murmured, glancing down at his boy who looked back at him. "I didn't know any of them anyway..." he paused, watching his son smile once more and hug him.

Adrien looked away, Felix's words swimming in his head. The blonde flinched at the thought of his cousin's teasing.

"You're real, right?" Adrien asked, bouncing the little one on his hip. "Both you, your mom and Emma?" He blinked, worried that he was going batshit crazy.

It wasn't like him to let his cousin get into his head, but he had hit a soft spot.

Louis frowned, nodding his head.

"Am real..." the little one replied, his hands gripping into his shirt.

Adrien ran his hand through Louis' hair. He remembered he made a promise not to allow things like this to ruin the enjoyment of life. He promised he wouldn't take his family for granted again.

He promised that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice and allow his life to waste away. He was getting married. He just had a beautiful healthy daughter and he had both Louis and Marinette. He didn't want to have anymore regrets.

"You're right..." Adrien smiled, chuckling softly and shaking his head at the silly thought. "Of course you guys are real..." he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his head. "Let's go home and get you some food. Hopefully mommy's done pooping." He giggled.

Louis widened his eyes and immediately fell into a fit of giggles. He held on to his father tightly as Adrien descended the stairs.

He would much rather walk home than have to deal with his body guard. Adrien didn't quite trust it.

For all he knew, his bodyguard would probably take him back under his father's order and force him to mingle with his family. He shuddered at the thought. He wasn't sure he could handle anymore time with Felix.

Adrien would much rather sit on a cactus than to choose the latter. The blonde rounded a corner, sneaking away until the mansion was completely out of site.

He would take the heat from Nathalie and his father later. As long as he was finally able to breath.

...

Felix watched from the lobby window, his blue eyes glaring as Adrien and Louis exited the front gates.

The blonde smirked, reminiscing of how Louis stood up for his father and he lightly chuckled.

He ran his thumb across the top of his lip in deep contemplation.

"Cute..." he murmured, his eyes blinking and pulling away as the two were no longer in site.

Felix moved back, allowing the curtain to finally fall and cover the window. He turned away, now submerged in complete darkness.

Felix didn't know anything about Hawkmoth. But he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that his ability was in fact interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien felt like he was in a trance.

It certainly wasn't in his nature to let people's words get to him, but there was something that Felix said that struck a sensitive nerve.

Adrien cared deeply for his family and yes that did include his father, his pain in the ass cousin, his wife and his children.

If he had lost all of that, he'd truly have no reason to live. He had just become a father again, the thought of Emma not being real shattered him to pieces.

Needless to say, Adrien was tired in more ways than one.

The blonde returned home, ready to isolate himself and fall asleep. He placed his little one on to his feet, watching as Louis immediately zipped through their home. The toddler began to stubbornly rummage through the kitchen for the food Marinette had prepared and left in the microwave for her boys to heat up when they returned home.

Adrien leaned against the door, his heart aching. Sometimes his cousin's teasing went a step too far as opposed to when they were children. The blonde pressed his lips together, immediately standing up straight at the sound of her sweet voice.

Her sweet humming echoed throughout the halls. He cocked his head to the side, the sweet voice filling his ears and luring him to the sounds like a cursed syren.

He could hear the pitter patter sounds of water and Adrien couldn't help but to wonder what she was up to.

She instantly made him feel better, she was his muse. That much was evident.

It was a selfish sort of emotion for Adrien. But it was the sort of selfishness that Adrien felt he had a right to experience.

Granted, he wasn't perfect. However, he was selfless enough throughout his entire life to attain this right.

This was a happiness he hadn't felt since he lost his mother and he would have dreaded life without the one thing he lived for.

He paused, his heart hammering at the small quivering cry of his daughter.

It was like music to his ears.

He quite liked the small sounds of a newborn's cry, especially because Adrien loved his children.

It only seemed like yesterday that he could hear Louis' cries back when he was younger.

Adrien missed those days.

It appeared that things were a lot more simpler then.

The blonde curiously ventured through the halls, following the sounds to the bathroom where Marinette lovingly bathed their daughter in the sink.

He leaned against the doorframe, his heart squeezing with the familiarity of her oversized sweater.

She even wore her hair in the pigtails she often styled those many years ago.

Adrien was in complete awe of his love

There was no way that they couldn't be real.

It had felt too real.

There were no words for the absolute devastation if it weren't.

Adrien sat beside himself. It certainly couldn't be. He despised that he allowed his cousin to get under his skin. He figured he had been used to it. Felix took advantage of Adrien's naive trait.

"Hey! How'd it go?" Marinette asked, finally getting Emma to calm down into the warm water.

Adrien blinked, immediately straightening up as he didn't realise that he was staring at the back of her head. He sighed, finally breaking free from the self deprecation just from the sound of her voice.

"I-It...was alright. Felix was up to his normal antics again..." Adrien replied truthfully, his green eyes lowering down at the thought of Marinette's untimely demise over and over again.

The blonde slowly approached Marinette, his fingertips reaching over to lightly tug on the edges of her sweater.

He then reached up, curling one of her dark locks of her pigtails right around his finger.

"This looks familiar..." he smiled, his voice warm at the memory of how Marinette used to wear this very same sweater when they went on their first date.

Granted, she only wore it to hide her large baby bump, but the night he learned about Louis and he revealed his true identity to her was probably one of the best nights of his life.

Marinette bit her lip at his caresses.

A small giggle emitted from her lips and she shyly moved away with a subtle blush.

"Don't change the subject~" Marinette replied as she began to run her hands through Emma's hair, being sure to wet it and sweep it up the way she wanted to.

"What was Felix doing to you? He didn't pick on Louis, did he?"

Adrien stepped back, his features immediately faltering. The blonde lightly shook his head, his lips pressing together.

"No. He didn't bother Louis. I couldn't say I was lucky myself..." he sighed.

Marinette frowned, briefly looking over to him before politely gesturing to the baby towel on the rack to which Adrien recieved and fetched the towel for her.

"What do you mean?" She asked, lifting the little one from the baby bath. Marinette flinched as Emma had started to flail her legs, a small cry had emitted from the little one as Adrien swathed the baby into the towel and held her to his chest to keep her warm.

Adrien pressed small kisses to the top of her head.

He began to bounce slightly in an attempt to get the little one to stop crying.

"He had a weird obsession with Hawkmoth..." Adrien confessed, his daughter finally able to calm down. "He talked a lot about what Lila did to us... he pitched this idea that this whole life we have was potentially a huge fabricated world that I conjured up. That Lila had never really reversed anything and none of this is actually happening..." his voice trailed off at the idea.

Marinette shook her head, drying her hands with another towel before she placed them on to her hips.

"You'd think he was Hawkmoth himself..." she muttered.

Adrien glanced down at his daughter, his fingertip caressing her face with a grimace.

"It's not likely. I mean- Hawkmoth causes chaos for the sake of grabbing our miraculous. He wants to make a powerful wish. He has a goal. Felix just causes chaos just for the sake of chaos. I mentioned before that he comes across as some sort of sadist. It's almost like he enjoys making people suffer..."

Marinette frowned, her hands dropping at her sides.

"I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable having him at our wedding then." She reached up, undoing her pigtails. "The last thing we need is for everything to go wrong...especially on our wedding night."

"I don't think my father's going to allow me to uninvite Felix. He's already traveled this far and he's seated next to my father." Adrien looked up at Marinette who placed her hair ties on to the sink counter. "So he could tell me that my wedding night isn't real either..." his voice trailed off before he shifted his gaze back to Emma.

Marinette furrowed her brow, recognizing that look. The lines underneath her eyes deepened and she bent over, forcing Adrien to look at her.

"You don't really believe that. Do you?" She asked, perking a brow as she was almost afraid for the answer. "Because I think I'd know the pain of pushing a six pound baby out of my vagina. It would be frustrating for someone to tell me that wasn't real..."

Adrien tortled weakly, the laugh didn't quite touch his heart like he had hoped. "I guess he just struck a nerve..." he sighed, shrugging. He didn't want to make her concerned, he had been feeling like a burden lately.

"Did you try on the dress?" He asked, attempting to change the subject before he ended up breaking down in front of her.

He didn't want her to think he didn't believe her when she assured him that everything was real and that he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't going to let Felix cause an argument between them either.

Marinette pulled back, a small frown tugging at her lips.

"Actually, no. Emma woke up from her nap, I started nursing her and the rest was history. I put her down, I started dinner and cleaned up a bit and then I had to change her then eventually settled on a bath." She moved closer to him, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

"I hope you're not mad. I did save some dinner. I was hoping that once we get Emma dressed, I can grab a shower and then put Louis to bed...then we can both have dinner together?" She suggested. "Tikki said she'd convince Plagg to agreed and stay with the kids tonight so that we both have some time together..."

Adrien smiled, his eyes warmly connecting with hers.

"You can grab your shower now, I'll dress up Emma and get her to bed. I'll also check up on Louis before helping him to bed too..." the blonde assured. "You had a busy day being an awesome mother. I don't mind helping out. They're my family too." Adrien leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips briefly. "No. I'm not mad either..." he breathed.

He held the baby closer to his chest.

"I'll go get her dressed."

Marinette blushed deeply, a sweet smile gracing her lips.

"I have the best loving and caring husband in the world." She giggled.

Marinette gave her baby a gentle kiss on the head before eventually leaving the bathroom to grab some clothes in her master bedroom.

Adrien took the little one back into her nursery.

He was gentle, making sure her delicate baby skin was moisturized. He had put diapers on Louis many times when he was a baby, it came like second nature to him, dressing Emma in her diapers was like a piece of cake. He made sure his daughter was nice and bundled up before he tucked the little one into his crib.

"You know...all this lovey dovey stuff makes me want to puke..." Plagg muttered, poking his head out from the collar of Adrien's shirt. "But I have to admit...it's better than the shell you were." The little kwami levitated, swinging his tiny body next to Adrien's head.

"I guess either in dreams or real life, you still complain about everything." Adrien laughed, glancing down as he placed the pacifier into Emma's mouth.

"I mean it!" Plagg retorted. "Before you were so cold and angry and selfish and mean-"

"Okay, Plagg. I get it. Thanks so much for your kind heart and solidarity." Adrien interject sarcastically.

"I know I fucked up. I'm sorry to you and I told Louis a million times that I was sorry. Even if he doesn't remember it. Marinette knew what happened, I've spent everyday since to make up for what happened, including for you Plagg." He explained, his voice remaining low as he didn't want to wake up the baby.

"Give him a break..."Tikki interjected, her small body floating towards Plagg as she entered the open door of the nursery.

Plagg widened his green eyes, almost ashamed that Tikki had caught him in the middle of his cruel teasing.

"Need I remind you; you've made a few huge mistakes yourself..." Tikki reprimanded, her blue eyes latched on to Plagg who turned away and crossed his arms. "Does the extinction of Dinosaurs ring a bell to you? Or the terrible earthquakes in-"

"Aw, come on!" Plagg refuted. "I was just teasing him, sugarcube. I get your point." He then turned to Adrien. "I get it. I won't tease you like that anymore."

Tikki crossed her small arms, a smile of triumph spreading across her small face.

Adrien nodded towards Plagg, reaching over to lightly brush his fingertip on top of his small Kwami's head.

"Come on Plagg. You're on Louie duty tonight." Adrien turned his gaze towards Tikki who smiled at him.

"Do you mind watching over Emma tonight? I really do appreciate it...and thanks for sticking up for me. Plagg could be a bully sometimes." The blonde smiled, snorting as Plagg groaned and immediately floated out of the room.

Tikki giggled, shaking her head at Plagg's dramatic exit before she turned her attention back to Adrien.

"I don't mind watching this little angel at all! You and Marinette enjoy your time together. I'll make sure Plagg stays out of trouble too. He's an even bigger kid than the actual kids."

Adrien bit his lip, withholding his laughter as he had just got Emma to sleep.

"I can't say I disagree." He murmured, reaching over to caress Tikki's head.

"Thanks...I really do appreciate you and Plagg. Even if he is a pain in the ass."

Tikki shook her head with a smile.

She couldn't have said it better herself.

Adrien bent over into the crib, placing a gentle kiss to his daughter's head one last time before he exited the room.

Adrien passed by the closed door of the bathroom. He heard the shower running and he could smell the fruity and delectable smell of Marinette's soap.

It made him feel giddy inside. It was insane how much he missed her, even while they were under the same roof.

Adrien wandered into the living space, a small smile on his features when he spotted Louis cuddling into his black cat stuffie.

Adrien felt warm at the fact his son enjoyed the same toys as he did when he was a kid. It made him feel less empty.

Louis yawned, a mess of mashed potatoes all over the stuffed animal's face. Louis wrapped his arms tightly around his toy, about ready to fall asleep on the couch.

"Did you and your friend eat too much?" Adrien asked, sitting on the couch and reaching over to bring his son onto his lap.

Louis habitually curled into him, the toddler nuzzled his face into his chest.

Adrien made a face, a little less than pleased by the scraping sensation of stale mashed potatoes on his skin as the stuffed animal moved alongside Louis.

"We should probably get black cat cleaned up and you changed. Mommy wants you in bed. She'll give you lots of kisses while you're asleep." The blonde whispered, standing up and holding his toddler close to him.

Louis nodded, his blue eyes spotting Plagg. He smiled, reaching over to the little Kwami as they moved down the hallway and into his bedroom.

Adrien removed his son's shoes and Plagg threw the little one's footsy pyjamas on to his head.

Louis giggled, removing the fabrics away from his head so that he could see.

Just as Adrien was about to reach for them, Louis immediately stopped him.

"I can do it!" The toddler proclaimed proudly.

Adrien blinked, pulling back with perplextion at his toddler's growing independence.

"Look!" Louis exclaimed, hopping off the bed and began to stumble out of his clothes.

Adrien flinched as he watched Louis hastily remove his clothes. It appeared that the toddler was just so excited to show his father that he was able to do something, it didn't seem to matter whether or not he fell flat on his face.

It was definitely a site to see, but Adrien often found himself reaching out to catch the little one right before he was about to fall and hurt himself.

With a couple more catches, Louis was finally able to squeeze into his pyjamas.

"See?! I did it! I did it!" Louis exclaimed, hopping around in his footsies!"

Adrien smiled, reaching over to fix a few buttons on his sleepwear.

"You did!" He replied with just as much enthusiasm. "You're a big boy! I'm proud of you!" Adrien scooped his son into his arms, pressing a ton of kisses on to his sons hair.

Adrien wanted to show his son the utmost of adoration. It was something Adrien craved from his father.

"Alright." He rasped, guiding Louis into his bed. He pulled the blanket over him, pressing a gentle kiss to his head

The toddler rubbed his eyes, yawning softly as he remembered how tired he really was. His blue eyes glanced up at his father who used a baby wipe to clean the mash from the face of his black cat stuffy before he returned the stuffie to him.

Louis wasted no time swathing his arms around the toy and clutching on to it for dear life.

"Now you and black cat get some sleep or mommy will be stuffed with little poopies and she'll be too busy stuck in the bathroom to give you any good night kisses."

Louis grinned, a small laugh emanating from him before it began to slowly die down.

Adrien glanced at his son, ignoring Plagg who nuzzled into Louis' hair comfortably.

It took a lot of strength, but Adrien was finally able to part with Louis, leaving him in the room to sleep with his Kwami.

Adrien left the bedroom door open slightly in case he needed anything.

The male paused, his green eyes glancing up to the open bathroom door.

He sighed, his heart dropping.

He hated to admit it and he had concealed it the moment he left his father's house, but Adrien was starting to have doubts.

He found himself wondering if this was all a dream.

What if he woke up and Marinette was gone?

He'd be forced to live with the image of her falling to her death over and over again. He'd wake up to an empty bed. She'd no longer be beside him.

He'd see her only in his thoughts. He'd see her right beside him on the bed. His heart squeezed at the memory of reaching out to her and her disappearing before he could even accept the fact that he was seeing her.

He'd visit her as she lay in the cold hard ground, Louis would be distant after so much neglect and selfishness and his beautiful Emma would have died alongside Marinette.

Adrien breathed out, his hand reaching up to his chest and clutching it.

The pain that over washed him was extraordinary, he nearly hunched over.

Adrien leaned against the wall, his legs trembling as he was sure he was about to pass out.

"Are you okay?"

Her voice was like a bell.

Immediately, everything in the room remained still. His world stopped spinning and her very presence eased his soul in ways she couldn't understand.

Marinette clutched the towel around her body, her dark wet hair fell down her shoulders in silky ringlets.

Her blue eyes remained wide and clueless, like a doe in headlights.

Adrien blinked, a small blush arriving against his cheeks at the blessed sight of his love.

She was alive and well. She was breathing, she was warm, she was soft.

She was here.

He subtly nodded, his eyes remaining on hers.

Marinette cocked her head to the side.

She was beginning to grow concerned. He appeared as if he was dramatically dropping to the ground or about ready to have a heart attack.

"O...okay?" She mused, perking a brow and chuckling briefly. "I'm going to dry up and get in my jammies, then we can have dinner." She smiled, about ready to turn away but paused, giving him one last look. "And get comfortable, it's been a long day."

Adrien continued to glance at her.

He always remembered her being so close and so far at the same time.

He constantly reached out to her, but he never really felt her. He was never able to catch her the way he craved. She had become an enigma, she was a presence that only existed in his head.

Adrien watched her, his heart sinking as she turned away. He was scared.

He was going to lose her all over again.

Habitually, Adrien reached out to her.

Her skin was warm, and she remained still. His fingers laced into hers and Adrien was about ready to break down once more.

He had caught her.

Marinette turned, glancing at him with a perplexed expression.

The tiny bluenette gasped, feeling her body being pulled against his in a taut embrace.

Green eyes sought hers, and her skin flushed to such a heat the moment his hands caressed her cheeks.

Adrien ran his fingers across her freckled cheeks and watched her plump lips part as she watched him in confusion.

Adrien loved the way her lashes framed her beautiful blue eyes. Her cute face was framed by her beautiful dark hair.

She was real.

She was here.

Her skin was so smooth underneath his hand, his thumb brushed over freckles each time with ease.

Marinette gasped, her features immediately faltering. The blunette reached over to him, her hand cupping his cheek. Her thumb brushed away a tear that fell from his eyes that Adrien hadn't even noticed began to ebb.

"Sweetheart..." Marinette pleaded softly, letting go of her towel. "What's wrong? Please...talk to me..."

Adrien reached below her, scooping her into his arms and carrying her off to the bedroom.

Marinette gasped, holding on tightly on to him. Her blue eyes glanced down at the towel that they were completely abandoning in the hallway.

Adrien placed his love on the bed, his hands pressing into the spaces beside her head.

Marinette kept her gaze on him as he hovered above her.

Her heart began to pound erratically against her chest.

Her eyes closed the moment Adrien lowered himself, his lips touching hers in a romantic kiss.

Marinette breathed into the kiss, her lips very softly pressing against his. His warm lips moved against hers, never thinking to take the kiss any further than the soft and pliable one that it was.

His lips moved from her lips and hovered over her cheek where he pressed a small kiss there. His lips then moved from her cheek to her ear, where he placed one there as well.

Marinette smiled, feeling his lips move to her shoulder. His hands held her hips as his lips moved to the other shoulder and kissed.

The blunette shivered, feeling his lips move to the soft valley between her breasts before he eventually moved down towards her navel.

Marinette bit her lip, giggling at the sensation. Her hands lightly tugged his hair and Adrien complied, dragging his lips back up to her neck where he placed an array of tender wet kisses.

Marinette wrapped her arms around him, tugging him closer.

"I'm worried about you..." the blunette explained, her lips hovering against his.

Adrien breathed against her lips, his hands remaining at her hips.

"I love you, Marinette. Don't forget okay?" He shifted, grabbing her hand and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you." He smiled down at her. He lowered himself, his lips pressing against hers.

Marinette wanted to protest, she wanted to pull away and talk more about it.

She wanted him to talk to her. Lately it was almost like pulling teeth when it came to her talking to him about what he was thinking.

She understood that Adrien wanted to suppress the trauma he experienced with Lila, but she noticed that it only made him more and more withdrawn.

She was marrying him, in fact Marinette had already considered him as her husband.

As insane as it sounded, Marinette wanted to understand his pain, she wanted to share his burden so that he wouldn't have to suffer through it alone.

They have and always will be a team.

Marinette only wanted Adrien to understand that.

Her hands very gently began to run through his hair as he kissed her. Her lips immediately began to move against his.

She relaxed into him, allowing her thoughts to wash away as she got lost into the kiss.

He breathed evenly into the kiss, and nothing could be heard in their space but the sweet sounds of their lips whispering against one another in hushed synchronization.

Marinette furrowed her brow, feeling his tongue on hers. She very lightly wrapped her lips around his tongue, sucking it into her mouth affectionately.

Adrien pulled back, gasping for air and Marinette syncopated him, her chest rose and fell as she attempted to catch her breath.

She hadn't realized just how tightly she was grabbing on to him.

Adrien's hair had been tousled under Marinette's tight grip and Adrien finally had the courage to move off of her.

Marinette sat up with a small blush, it didn't take long before she had her arms wrapped completely around him.

"Are you still up for dinner? Maybe we could talk about what's been on your mind lately?" Marinette suggested, drawing patterns into his back.

Adrien chuckled, his head leaning against hers.

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of your stubborn trait." He conceded, turning his head to give her hair another soft kiss.

Marinette giggled, keeping herself pressed at his side.

"You live for it though..." she teased. "Not as stubborn as you think, but still stubborn."

Adrien snorted, his arm snaking around her naked waist and tugging her closer.

"I'd have to agree...you're as stubborn as a mule..." he reached over with his other hand, lifting her chin.

Her eyes were connected with his once more and before Marinette could ever formulate a proper response, his mouth was immediately on hers.

She closed her eyes, her lips moving against his once more in a passionate kiss.

Their lips parted with an audible squelch and Marinette could have sworn she'd swoon right on the spot.

Adrien brushed his lips against hers, a smile forming on his lips as he did so.

"Dinner sounds great, my Lady."

A/N: Ahhhhh! Early update to celebrate 1k followers on wattpad OMG OMG OMG. Thank you guys so much. I love you all!

And remember updates are every Saturday unless something comes up and I can't get it out. But everything looks fine so far!

Please stay awesome!


	6. Chapter 6

"Wow! You've gotten so big!" Luka exclaimed, his hands lightly gripping Louis and lifting him into the air.

The toddler widened his eyes, a big grin on his face as Luka began to bounce the child up and down into the air.

Marinette glanced up at her friend as he played with her son. It had been awhile since she had seen Luka.

The last she heard from him was when he quit the fashion industry and went back on tour to play his music.

He always told Marinette that she was his muse, the song that played in his head since the very first time they met. He had only gotten into the fashion industry by the scraps of his nails and his only purpose of doing that was to become close to Marinette.

She was grateful to see him again and from what she could tell, Louis was ecstatic to see his uncle Luka return.

Marinette couldn't help but to feel a bit audacious. She had asked her friends including Luka to stop by the venue to help them set up for the wedding and the reception in a few days.

Marinette was feeling too optimistic and because Adrien had the place reserved for a good two weeks, she was able to take her time and figure things out.

"So where's the princess?" Luka asked, holding Louis at his hip. The male averted his gaze back to Marinette who waved at Alya and Nino as they walked into the venue.

"She's in her carriage. She's asleep, I wouldn't suggest waking her up. I can't feed her while we set things up. I'm scared it'll push me back."

Luka shook his head, struggling with Louis as he squirmed, growing excited at the sight of Auntie Alya and uncle Nino. He placed the toddler down on to the ground, watching him run over to their mutuals.

"I'd be more than happy to help you."

Marinette was reluctant, she bit her lip and contemplated.

"Are you sure? Asking out of the blue when you just came back just seems...kind of impertinent."

Luka shook his head, not taking no for an answer.

"Of course I don't mind helping. This is your wedding. I'd want it to be as perfect as you." The male smiled at her sweetly.

Marinette gently reached up to rub her cheeks, a deep blush brewing on to her skin as she inhaled.

"Alright... but thank you." Her blue eyes shifted to Luka in sincere appreciation.

It wasn't Adrien's intention to break a sweat. He never knew so much work went into a wedding. He was well aware of the mental work as well as the emotional drainage, but Marinette really proved him wrong on this one.

They had spent all morning cleaning the floors, cleaning the windows and despite his friends showing up as well as his cousin- they still had a shit ton of work to do.

His green eyes maneuvered over to Luka as he held baby Emma.

Marinette soon approached Luka, her arm reaching around him to caress the newborn's face. Luka leaned down, rubbing his nose on the little baby's nose.

Marinette giggled softly, leaning into Luka as the both of them admired the little dark haired princess.

Adrien could faintly hear Louis in the distance, moving the table cloths to the center where everyone would need them to set things up.

"Can someone tell me why we're doing this instead of having the venue staff and servers do all of this back breaking work?" Felix asked from behind.

Adrien immediately flinched, his attention drawing away from Marinette. The sound of his cousin's voice always sent shivers down his spine.

He was sharp with the tongue and Adrien was all too familiar with his cousin's bullying. The last thing Adrien wanted to do was to have Felix here with he and his friends but his father insisted.

Sometimes Adrien wondered if Felix and his father were in cahoots to make his life a living hell.

"Because that's not Marinette..." Adrien replied, shifting his gaze to his cousin who began to pick up the table cloths that Louis left in the center for them. "Marinette didn't grow up with servants and personal chefs and a ton of money. She always did things herself. Marinette doesn't consider it a full experience if everyone does things for her..."

Felix tucked the cloths under his arm, his eyes rolling at Adrien's response as he shifted his gaze to Marinette who began walking to the other side of the ballroom.

The blunette flagged Nino over to her direction where they both lifted tables in unison and began to set them in the locations that Marinette desired.

"And you want to marry that?" Felix breathed, shifting his gaze back to Adrien who snatched the cloths from him and began to open them.

"Of course I still want to marry her..." a small blush began to arise onto his cheeks.

He caught a glimpse of Marinette pointing and leading her crew in the directions where everything would go.

"She's the most down to earth girl I've ever met..." Adrien murmured. He kept his eyes on her.

He couldn't help but to think about Ladybug. He couldn't stop thinking about the way Ladybug used her head, how determined she was and how well she was when she was a leader.

Because that's what she was.

She was a leader.

A damn good one at that.

Adrien saw all of these qualities in his fiance. He couldn't understand how he didn't see it before. He felt like a total idiot for not noticing she was Ladybug in the very beginning.

"Seems like you like the back work..." Felix muttered, spreading the cloth out on the table and fixing it to the best of his ability.

Adrien chuckled, tugging the edges of the table cloth before the male turned.

Felix hung his shoulders low, following Adrien towards the windows to retrieve another table.

Both men moved to the ends of the table before lifting it in unison and placing it towards the center where they were meant to be.

"I guess you can say that." Adrien grunted. "I don't think living with my head in the clouds was working out for me. Kind of made me a bit too naive."

Felix chortled, his blue eyes shifting to Luka who held Marinette's child. He pursed his lips, his eyes then shifting to Adrien who began to fit the ivory table cloth on the piece of furniture.

"It's nice that Luka stopped by to help you guys out with the kids and the wedding..." Felix murmured, drawing Adrien's attention.

Adrien furrowed his brow, quickly glancing over towards Luka before he turned his attention back to setting the table.

"Yeah. He's a really cool guy." Adrien replied, smoothing out the cloth and tugging the edges.

"Didn't he used to fuck Marinette?" Felix asked, keeping his voice low enough to keep the conversation between the two of them.

Adrien clenched his jaw, his heart pounding in his chest as he was starting to understand what his cousin was trying to imply.

"They dated when she was fourteen. That was years ago..."Adrien replied. "And I dont even think it was serious enough for that."

Felix chuckled, slowly folding his arms.

"Is that what helps you sleep at night?" He asked, perking a brow.

Adrien sighed, standing up straight with a deadpanned expression.

"I sleep perfectly fine knowing that they used to date and that there's nothing between them anymore but a platonic relationship. Its comforting in my sleep to know that she's with me, she's loyal to me and only me and it warms my heart while I'm asleep to dream about the family we've created together and the life we'll continue to build after we are married..."

Adrien could almost feel Plagg gag in his pocket but he ignored the fact.

Felix rolled his eyes at his cousins response.

It was quite typical of Adrien and he didn't expect anything less.

Felix was well aware how beautiful Marinette was and he was aware of the many people that pined after her in school one of which included her current best friends boyfriend.

"So you must really trust her then..." Felix replied, his eyes narrowing as he watched Luka place the baby back into her basket before he moved back towards Alya and Nino to help them set up the table souvenirs.

Adrien felt his skin warm up. He was trying to remain as calm as he could, the last thing he wanted to do was to get frustrated and cause a scene.

"Yes. I trust her. She's never had ill will towards me. We've learned how to communicate throughout the years of being together. Any other argument regarding that just seems gratuitous." Adrien replied, clearing his throat.

"Now...are you here to help? Or have you come to finish the job you started at the party? Apparently you're not done telling me that my life is a lie, or that my wife is either dead or cheating on me." Adrien continued, his cheeks growing red.

Felix offered his cousin a small smile, casually stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Looks like I've struck a nerve...you know, I can spot PTSD when it's in front of me. I guess you can't stop seeing your wife dying..." the male pressed, watching Adrien run his hand through his hair.

"Yeah and now it seems like you want the image of her fucking someone else in my head..." Adrien muttered under his breath. He was trying to keep his cool and he was managing quite well. "Are you done? Or perhaps it would be better if I asked you to leave..."

Felix was about ready to jump on that idea. Granted, he did enjoy torturing Adrien but the thought of not having to waste his time helping everyone set up when he could just hire someone else to do the job really started to irk him.

His blue eyes shifted to the newborn in the basket. The little baby suckled on her pacifier, nuzzling into the neck pillow that Marinette had placed for her.

Felix narrowed his eyes once more, his bottom lip moving between his teeth.

"No. I'll stay and help you Adrien..." he replied, his eyes remaining on the little one curiously.

Adrien sighed, his jaw clenching at his cousins response.

"Alright then. Alya and Nino need help moving the rest of the tables. We can grab a few more. We're expecting over a hundred people to be at this event, so we need to start taking out the chairs..." Adrien replied, a little amused that his cousin decided to drop the subject.

Adrien was beginning to feel a bit of an inner turmoil. He never once doubted that Marinette was faithful to him, but he wasn't too fond of his family members making those remarks about her. He didn't want to think about Marientte and Luka.

He had just started a decent friendship with Luka, he wasn't going to let his cousin's words ruin that for him.

Adrien wandered towards the chairs, his hands gripping on to the sides of them in an attempt to unstack them so that he could prepare a line for the crew to grab and place.

Felix glanced over at Adrien, his lips pursing as he turned in the opposite direction.

The male very carefully approached the new borns basket and crouched down.

He leaned forward, his brow perking at the little one. He looked around briefly, wondering if Adrien was anywhere in sight or had realised that he never followed him to help set up the chairs.

Felix turned his attention back to the little one who slept peacefully. The male reached over towards the baby, his fingertips barely grazing a piece of hair on her head when the basket was tugged back.

Louis stood behind his sister's basket, a grimace on his face the moment he spotted Felix.

"No..." Louis murmured, standing in front of his sister's basket.

Felix grinned, now standing up straight at he glanced down at the two little ones.

"You dont want me to see my own baby cousin?" Felix asked. "You're my cousin too, little guy..."

Louis stuck his tongue out, keeping his baby sister behind him.

"No..." the toddler stated firmly. "You are mean..."

Felix laughed softly.

"Mean?" He mused, reaching over towards Louis casually. "I'll show you mean ,you little-"

"Felix?" A voice spoke behind the male, drawing his attention immediately.

The male spun around, his eyes connecting with a pair of blue eyes.

Marinette glanced at him, her brow furrowing as she took notice of Louis standing protectively in front of Emma.

"Is there a problem?" Marinette asked, very carefully joining her children in front of Felix. "Emma wasn't crying, was she?" The blunette asked, crouching down to check in on her daughter.

Felix blushed, clearing his throat and shifting.

"Erm..no, actually I was looking for you." The male stuttered, reaching up to try and rub the blush out of his cheeks.

Marinette furrowed her brow, gently grabbing Louis and hoisting him up onto her hip.

"Me? What's up?" She asked, bouncing her little one on her hip.

Felix shifted, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth.

"I was...wondering if it would be okay that I stopped by tomorrow night?" He asked, trying to be as inviting as he could.

Marinette widened her eyes, completely caught off guard at his offer.

The female cleared her throat, her expression a little less than pleased.

She had heard unpleasant things about Felix and she wasn't too sure if she wanted someone like that in her house

Louis didn't seem to like him either and Marinette wasn't too sure if she'd allow him to torture Adrien under their roof.

"I-I'm not sure..." Marinette replied hesitantly, her eyes shifting over to Adrien who spoke with Nino about where they'd set up the screen to display their family photos.

"Nino is coming by to take Adrien out and Alya is supposed to come for me not too long after..." Marinette explained.

"That's alright." Felix assured, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don't plan to be there long. I just...wanted to know you a little better and get along with the kids. I mean, they are apart of my family too. It'll be nice for them to have another older figure in their lives to look up to."

Marinette was left with a sour taste in her mouth. Marinette couldnt envision the idea of her children going to Felix for guidance nor would she even entertain the idea.

"I...I'm not too sure..." Marinette replied, shifting her weight. "I'll talk to Adrien about it and then we can see what happens-"

"Adrien already knows." Felix quickly interjected. "In fact... Adrien was the one who suggested it."

Marinette paused, blinking with surprise.

"H-He did?" Marinette asked, completely dumbfounded as her blue eyes shifted in Adrien's direction.

Felix nodded, standing in the way of her visage towards her husband.

"Yeah, I mean I know I've picked on him in the past, but that's our relationship. I do it because I love him. What loveable relationship doesn't come with a bit of bickering and playful banter?" The male further elucidated.

"I really do love the kid. I have no bad feelings towards him. I just pick on him like normal cousins do..."

Marinette blushed, glancing back at Louis who looked back at her.

The blunette hesitantly placed her toddler down on the ground, allowing him to return to his newborn baby sister.

"O-Oh...okay..." she replied, running her fingers through her bangs. "I-if Adrien is okay with it...then I guess there shouldn't be a problem. As long as it's a quick get together." Marinette reached up to rub her cheeks.

Felix grinned, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Perfect!" The blonde leaned forward, sliding his hand into hers and bringing it up to his lips so that he could kiss the back of it. "I'll see you tomorrow night..." he pulled back, winking at the girl.

Marinette awkwardly slid her hand out of his hand and she very carefully hid them behind her back

"R-right..." Marinette replied. "I'll see you tomorrow night then..." the female awkwardly glanced back at her children.

"Crap!" Nino exclaimed, nearly dropping one of the centre pieces for the table.

Marinette gasped, immediately brushing past Felix to grab the piece from Nino.

"Nino! Please be careful with those. I spent all night making these..." she whined.

Felix watched Marinette as she hurried back to her friends.

The male brought his thumb up to rub against the inside of his top lip.

He recalled that Adrien trusted Marinette. He trusted her with everything he had.

But Felix couldn't help himself.

He had to test that theory.


	7. Chapter 7

Adrien felt dead.

He couldn't find it in himself to move.

He remembered this place.

He remembered the way the eerie pink lights lit up the pale tan wall.

There was an overwhelming floral aroma that surrounded him, and Adrien shivered.

He had never felt so cold in his life. The room he stood in was dim and Adrien swore he could hear the faint sounds of crying.

The blonde turned his head towards the sound, seeing nothing in the first glance, but a dreadful picture came into view.

Sabine wore only black, and her eyes were swollen with tears as the woman hunched over in agonizing pain.

His green eyes shifted towards Thomas who held his wife in his arms.

The man's face flushed a deep red as he gripped on to Sabine. He held her close to him, attempting to comfort her but it was too obvious that the man was in a great deal of pain himself.

Louis stood beside the couple, a solemn yet confused look on his face. The toddler occasionally looked at him, but often averted his gaze to the scenery ahead of him.

He was often tempted to approach someone, or something but the moment he left his grandparents' side, he was immediately reprimanded.

Nathalie appeared beside Adrien, her face remaining completely impassive.

Adrien heard his own sobs emanating from within him, but he couldn't move. He wasn't in control of what was going on around him.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" His voice was low and sharp. "My father couldn't make it to his own daughter in law's funeral. You'd think if he cared about his family, he'd be here to mourn with us, to help us grieve. This is the only time we need to be together-"

Adrien winced at his own words towards Nathalie.

He could still feel the anguish and hurt from that day. His father had abandoned him yet again when he had needed his guidance the most.

Adrien was left out to drown, but Adrien couldn't find it in him to continue. He was becoming a bad father as well.

What his father did to him for many years, he had started to reflect on to Louis.

Adrien knew it wasn't Nathalie's fault, but in that moment, he needed to express the pain he felt deep inside, or something much graver was going to happen. It didn't go unknown that Adrien had taken this death to heart.

Before Adrien could even comprehend what, he was reliving, he found himself moving. His heart began to pound into his chest as he floated into darkness.

It was as if he was levitating, floating around Limbo without an option of choice.

The blonde froze, remaining still as he found himself stalling.

"You see what you did?" A voice reprimanding him which emanated from his left. "You did this! Look at what you've done!"

Adrien felt sick to his stomach. He knew Felix's voice from anywhere.

The blonde squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head as his heart began to hurt inside of his chest.

It wasn't long before Felix appeared beside him, his skin flushed to a disgusting pasty color. His eyes were wide, and his pupils were tiny. The expression he bore was nothing but pure hatred and disgust.

Adrien opened his eyes the moment Felix gripped on to his shoulders, his nails digging into Adrien's skin.

"Look! Look at what you did!" Felix demanded. "Look at the mess you made. Look at all the families you've destroyed!"

Adrien tried to push him off, but his feet were stuck. He couldn't move an inch even if he wanted to.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't do anything!" Adrien cried out, tears pooling in the edges of his eyes.

"Of course, you didn't-" Felix replied snidely, his teeth bearing from between his lips. "You doing nothing is what caused this mess!" The male placed his hands on to Adrien, shoving him with great force that Adrien was finally able to move back as he stumbled. "This is all your fault!"

Adrien flinched, his body pummeling against something cold and hard.

He froze, his hands feeling around the smooth metal like surface before the blonde eventually turned his attention to the object he held his weight against.

His heart fell, his soul nearly leaving his body as the male finally realized that he was standing beside Marinette's open casket.

It appeared that she was asleep, her hands folded nearly atop her abdomen, her hair up into a bun just like how it was back when they were younger.

The makeup she wore lay on top of her skin, falsifying the appearance that she was still with them, but merely in an eternal sleep.

She was surrounded by flowers, the smell of them nearly made Adrien sick.

Sabine's sobs only grew louder and louder, pounding against Adrien's eardrums like clumsy church bells.

Adrien felt his mouth grow dry. His scalp had gone completely cold followed by an undeniable warmth.

"No..." he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't fight the sadness that consumed him. He couldn't stop the misery and despair.

There was so much pain and here he was wallowing in his self-pity, when he had caused all of this to happen.

"That can't be... she was brought back. Everything went back to normal..." Adrien shook his head, his eyes unable to move from his slain wife.

"She's dead!" Felix exclaimed, drawing Adrien's attention from Marinette who was lifeless and ready to be put to eternal rest.

Adrien cried, his tears pooling at his chin and dripping on to his chest.

"I... I didn't mean to. I tried to save her! I just couldn't-"

"You killed her!" Felix interjected, his hands gripping Adrien's face and forcefully shoving him towards Marinette's remains. "You did this! You killed her!"

Adrien felt defeated, the panic coursed through his veins like a herd of hungry fire ants. "I didn't! I tried to save her! Lila wouldn't let me! She was supposed to fix this! She promised that she would..." his voice trailed off.

"Lila killed her!" Adrien glanced back at Felix, his chest heaving with sobs.

"No! It was you!" Sabine replied, her eyes dark as she subtly pulled away from her husband. "You killed our only daughter!"

Adrien widened his eyes, his gaze turning towards Sabine who began to approach him. Marinette's father wasn't too far behind her.

"You're the reason why we lost our child! The only thing that meant the world to us-" Tom chimed in, his eyes narrowing.

"You're the reason why your son no longer has a mother..." Sabine cried. "You ruined our family!"

Adrien felt enclosed, he was trapped in a room full of people who hated him. Everyone claimed it was his fault and maybe it was.

His watery green eyes shifted over to his son who stood behind, the very same dead expression Adrien held when he was younger.

It was the same daunting sadness Adrien wallowed him when his father cruelly abandoned him after his mother disappeared.

"Louis..." Adrien breathed, nearly falling to his knees to reach out to his son but was frozen in place. "Louis, I'm so sorry..."

Louis kept his gaze away from his father, his eyes only growing more and more empty. The toddler had become callous after torturous months of constant pain and neglect.

"Louis please..." the model tried once more, his heart aching in his chest. The palpitations had nearly started to knock the air out of him.

The toddler turned his head away, turning his back against his father without so much as a second thought.

Adrien was completely shattered, the room suddenly growing dark.

All he could hear was the faint echoes of all parties blaming him, yelling at him, wishing him dead.

"You should have been the one in that casket! Not her!" Luka chimed in, his pupils small and fiery with anger.

"How could you let my best friend die?!" Ayla called from the other end; utter pain etched into her voice.

"What is wrong with you?" Nino yelled from beside Ayla.

"Your son doesn't love you anymore-" Plagg's voice emanated from right beside his ear.

"You're acting completely selfish" Nathalie spoke, stepping side Felix.

Adrien couldn't breathe. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, the entire room glaring at him but Louis who refused to even acknowledge his existence.

"B-But...I didn't... I was... I was trying..." his voice was strained, the lines under his eyes deepened at the walls began to cave him.

The blonde jumped the moment he felt a cold hand wrap around his wrist from inside the casket.

He tried to pull away from the cold corpse that grabbed him, but he couldn't move a muscle.

Marinette sat up in her casket, her skin cold hard and gray as the makeup began to melt off. She opened her eyes, her skin cracking as she did so.

What once was two beautiful large blue belle eyes had now become two white open slits. He could no longer make out the blue color of her irises.

What had been left what outright terrifying.

The corpse heaved, almost as if it was ready to vomit. The words it tried to mutter was garbled by the black tar that had begun to leak from between its lips.

"W-Why?" It muttered out to him, the dark hair slowly cascading around its face.

The voice was Marinette's, but what was left couldn't be her.

Adrien refused to believe it.

"I-I thought you loved me..." It cried out, the dry voice beginning to sound strenuous and so familiar.

"Adrien..." the corpse reached out to him, her other hand gripping to the side of the casket as it was trying to climb out. "Why didn't you help me? Why did you let me die?"

Adrien trembled, the tears falling freely from his eyes as he was just about ready to run or jump from a high place and end it all.

"Marinette...I didn't mean to... I'm so sorry I failed you. I tried to save you, but Lila kept pulling me back..." his eyes widened as he could see her leaping to her death over and over once more.

He could still feel her completely lifeless in his arms. He could still see the blood the seeped from her mouth, and he could most certainly hear the last words she's ever told him.

"I love you..."

He didn't even realize the words came out of his mouth. Adrien had no control of his body at that very moment. All he could was watch in horror as his love uttered out her last words before she leapt to her death.

He'd reach out to her, but nothing came to him. He'd remained completely perplexed to her leap.

The guilt would consume him entirely just as soon as the area around them began to dissipate and Adrien was forced to face the image of his wife's remains climbing out of her casket.

Adrien turned, his bones feeling like mud as his body had become so heavy.

He would run, but not matter how much he ran, he never moved. This had been a reality he was forced to be stuck in.

"Adrien..." Marinette's corpse muttered out as she maneuvered herself on to the ground.

She gripped on to the loose carpet on the ground, dragging her body towards Adrien.

"You are responsible for my death." She spoke dryly. "Lila didn't kill me. YOU DID!"

Adrien began to pant, his heart thumping wildly in his chest as he couldn't breathe.

He needed to get out of here. She was getting closer and closer to him. He needed to escape. He had to leave. The room had suddenly turned empty and he was left alone with her.

He couldn't run anymore; he just didn't have the energy.

The male fell to the ground, the pain in his chest only growing.

His cheeks had grown cold as his tears stained his skin.

He began to face the facts, even as the corpse began to climb over him.

Horrified, Adrien glanced up at the white lifeless eyes as they shot daggers back down at him, each look piercing him straight into his soul.

"Adrien..." the corpse cried once more, her cold gray lifeless hands pressing against his chest.

Adrien shook his head, his heart racing as the air was knocked right out of him. In only moments, he had begun to panic once more.

"Marinette...no-" he panted, his head shaking with fear as her hands only grew tighter and tighter against him.

"MARINETTE NO-"

Adrien's eyes shot open and he snapped up straight in his chair.

His hands gripped on to Marinette's wrists, he had been squeezing so tight his knuckles began to turn white.

Marinette looked down at him with wide eyes, her hands nearly growing numb by how tight he had been gripping her.

Adrien panted, his chest heaving as reality slowly came back to him. He snapped his gaze at Marinette who looked concerned.

He blinked, his heart still thumping in his chest.

Her eyes were blue.

Her skin was warm.

She was alive...

"Adrien..." Marinette whispered, briefly forgetting about the feeling in her hands. "Are you okay?"

It had been awhile since Marinette had to witness Adrien twisting in agony from his prolonged nightmares.

Concern etched into her features the moment she recognized the fear and anxiety in Adrien's expression.

She had begun to worry if Adrien was reliving the scenario that Lila had put him through under the influence of Hawkmoth.

By the way he murmured out her name during his sleep in pure utter fear, it cleared any last lingering doubts she may have had about it.

Of course, Marinette couldn't quite understand why Adrien would agree to allowing Felix to come over to know her and the children better, especially if he had such an awful influence on Adrien's peace of mind, but Marinette decided not to ask question.

She had grown to know that there was always a reason why he did things.

Adrien always saw the good in people and Marinette had hoped to find that in Felix. If Adrien couldn't get through to him, Marinette was confident that she could.

After all, in high school she was nicknamed super Marinette for all her efforts to help her classmates.

Adrien was no different.

The blunette parted her lips, ready to console him that whatever he was experiencing was just a nightmare but was abruptly cut short the moment her temple was pushed into his chest.

Marinette gasped, her blue eyes widening as Adrien held her in such a tight bone crushing embrace, it had knocked all the air out of her.

Marinette blushed deeply, lightly squirming as she could hear his heart thumping wildly against his chest.

"Marinette-" Adrien breathed, nuzzling his nose into her hair. His hands lightly trailed up her spine before he pulled back to look at her. His hands cupped her face, his thumbs running along her rosy pink cheeks.

"Adrien-" Marinette choked out, finally heaving her chest full of air after being let go. She parted her lips, taking deep breaths and lifted her gaze to meet his.

Adrien immediately glanced around, his hands releasing Marinette and he stood up from the sofa.

"Where are our kids?" He asked.

Adrien couldn't rid the mental image of Louis turning away from him. He could still see the haunted look on his toddler's face. It still shattered his heart to pieces.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Plagg asked, the little sentient being floated from the tv stand on to his chosen's shoulder. "You didn't ask about me? Do I not mean anything to you?"

Adrien glanced down at his kwami and Marinette pulled back, shaking her head at Plagg's usual teasing.

"Baby Emma is asleep!" Tikki piped from behind Marinette's hair, promptly answering Adrien's question.

"And our big boy Louis is enjoying some Lunch before Marinette's parents pick him up so you two could enjoy your night with your friends." The little red kwami glanced at Plagg who stuffed a block of smelly cheese into his mouth.

Tikki scrunched up her face at Plaggs noisy eating. The kwami rolled her eyes, glancing at Marinette who reached down to rub the top of her head.

"Thanks, Tikki. I think I've pretty much have it covered from here." Marinette assured the little creature.

The blunette stood back, blinking as Adrien left her side in search for his son.

She sighed, glancing back at him with a grimace.

"I'm really worried about him..." Marinette whispered down to both kwamis as they both rested on the arm of the couch. "I haven't seen him have a nightmare since a few months ago. Now he's back into screaming in his sleep or just not sleeping at all..." her blue eyes averted to Plagg who had every intention to move away from the situation.

"Plagg, was it really that bad?" She asked, nearly afraid of the answer.

Plagg sighed, shaking his small head as the small creature remembered everything that had happened when Marinette died.

"I recall that he was being selfish. Apparently, he tried to catch you, but Lila pulled him back, so he was forced to watch you..." the kwami paused, glancing down as his small ears flickered in remembrance of his chosen's pain. "To watch you die. He wouldn't eat, he'd stay in his room all day. Often, he'd cry in his sleep and I swore I've caught him talking to himself. It was almost as if he conjured a sort of ghost or imaginary friend that he made to be you..."

Tikki widened her eyes, her brow puckering as she tried to picture it. The little kwami glanced back at Plagg with a solemn expression.

"That's so sad..." she whimpered, her eyes lowering.

"He was mistreating me and Louis. I think he's remembering everything that happened and he's trying to make up for what happened even though...technically it never happened because Lila undid everything." The kwami rasped, rolling his large head back and resting it on to the pillow atop the sofa.

Marinette frowned, her blue eyes glancing in the direction that she last saw Adrien. The blunette was about ready to follow him just as she heard a knock on the door behind her.

She paused, her lips tugging into a deep frown before she turned her attention toward the front door.

"Go somewhere and stay hidden..." she instructed her kwamis. "In case its Felix, we don't need him finding out about our alter egos."

Plagg groaned, hesitating as he really enjoyed where he was. He had just finished at least a pound of cheese and the spot he chose to rest was nice, warm, and soft. It was a perfect place to induce himself into a cheese coma.

"Come on..." Tikki ushered her tiny companion. "Let's go..."

Plagg yawned, about ready to fall asleep right then and there before he eventually gave in and followed Tikki to baby Emma's bedroom.

Marinette pressed her lips together, nearly dreading having to answer the door.

If it was Felix, he certainly had bad timing.

The blunette opened the door, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as Nino waved at her from the other side.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her. "Is Adrien ready?" The male asked, pulling away to glance at her. "I promise I won't have him out too late."

Marinette offered a small warm smile, opening the door wider to let him in.

"I would imagine so. I don't think he's seen enough sleep to have that sort of energy to stay out longer than that."

Nino frowned, stepping inside and placing a hand to his chest.

"Oh no. I hope he's alright." He replied.

Marinette sighed, closing the door.

"It's quite of a long story..."

•○•○•○•○•

Felix sat inside of his parked vehicle in proximity of the home his cousin shared with his soon to be wife.

The blonde ran his thumb across his top lip, a wicked grin spreading across his lips the moment he spotted Nino entering through the front door.

It was only a matter of time before Nino went out with Adrien and Marinette's parents would come to pick up their children.

Felix would then have Marinette all to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

"You don't look so well, dude." Nino commented, pressing the opening to his beer bottle to his lips.

Adrien sighed, slouching forward.

He wasn't particularly excited to go out this evening, but he couldn't let his friends down. He and Alya both planned this evening for the both of them.

Traditionally, it was normal for them to want a nice time before the wedding ceremony.

The blonde could barely hear the music booming around them at the bar, all he could focus on was keeping his eyes open.

The bags under his eyes didn't go unnoticed by Nino, the male had grown concerned for his buddy's lack of enthusiasm.

It wasn't normal, especially because Grooms are usually happy before they are to be married to the woman of their dreams.

Adrien shook his head lightly, fiddling with the bottle in his hands as he attempted to stifle a yawn.

"No, no-" the model protested, reaching up to rub his eyes. "I really am glad to be here. I just haven't been able to get much sleep the past few days..."

"That's blatantly obvious..." Nino sighed, taking a sip of his drink. "You look like you haven't slept in ages. The music is pummeling through my chest and you're about to fall asleep! What's wrong, buddy?" He asked, cocking his head to the side as Adrien pressed his elbows against the bar to rub his temples.

"Felix has been saying some trippy stuff lately. If I hadn't known any better I feel like he could be Hawkmoth himself. He's being a thorn in my side." Adrien conceded, the stress he was under finally enticing him to take a sip of his beer. "I swear it starts to feel like I'm in a time loop after awhile. I get so anxious I have nightmares."

Nino furrowed his brow, shaking his head. "Damn, has he always been that way?" The male asked, his heart thumping against the beat of the music.

Adrien reached up to rub his temples with a low groan.

"He's been like this for as long as I could remember."

Nino shook his head, his lips pressing together as he twirled the beer bottle in his hand. "Let's get together and take him out then."

Adrien pursed his lips in contemplation. It was an idea he was receptive to, but then again it just seemed like something that would cause more problems for him and Marinette in the future.

"No, as tempting as it sounds...I dont think that's a good idea..."

Nino chuckled, a wide grin on his face as he raised his bottle.

Adrien smiled weakly, reaching up and clanking his bottle against Nino's in a notion of solidarity.

"It doesn't seem like a good idea...for now..." Adrien muttered under his breath.

Marinette hummed, pulling her hair up into a bun. She was quite reluctant to hand her children over, even if it was to her parents.

Emma was still so young, it made Marinette nervous to be away from her even if it was for a couple of hours. It was the same when she was with Louis. But even then, she lived with her parents at the time, it made things easier somehow.

The blunette only had a few hours to herself before Alya would arrive to whisk her away to a comfortable girl's dinner and perhaps a movie when they returned home with some cupcakes.

Marinette was definitely looking forward to it. She had managed to pump a few bottles in the time she was left with and Marinette couldn't help but to feel proud of herself.

As a teen, time managing was probably the one thing she was the most inept to. Anyone who knew her could vouch for that notion.

Marinette had just applied her makeup and was dressed comfortably for the occasion.

"No heels tonight?" Tikki asked, poking her head out from Marinette's dark locks.

Marinette chuckled, pressing her glossy lips together to spread the makeup along them.

"No. I think I'd be more comfortable wearing my flats. I've always worn them and honestly...my ankles still swell." She chuckled. "I dont want to break them."

Tikki giggled, leaning into Marinette's hair with a small smile.

"I guess you're right. Ladybug certainly doesn't wear heels."

Marinette shook her head, placing her makeup into her bag before sealing it shut.

"That's very true, and as far as anyone knows, Ladybug doesn't have any children either." The female grabbed her bag and returned to her room, being mindful of her kwami who was tangled in her hair.

Marinette realised how dangerous it would be if anyone found out that Ladybug had children. It would spread all over Paris in the news and Marinette would be terrified to see them to school especially knowing that Hawkmoth would be looking for them in hopes to find out which children belonged to them.

That would ultimately lead Hawkmoth to their real identity which would cause a whole slew of issues.

Marinette tried to shake her head of that idea, attempting to prevent herself from having an anxiety attack the moment she heard a light knock at the door.

The blunette furrowed her brow, her blue eyes shifting to the clock on the wall in her bedroom

"Alya's early?" Marinette mused, glancing down at Tikki who shrugged before she lowered herself into the collar of Marinette's shirt to hide.

Marinette placed her bag aside and straightened herself out before she wandered into the hallways towards the front door.

Marinette inwardly scolded herself, her heart sunk realizing that she forgot the agreement of inviting Felix over.

Felix smiled warmly as he glanced up at her.

"Hey. I hope I didn't show up too late?" He mused, holding a bag in his hand and offering it to her.

Marinette blinked, glancing down at the bag. She felt incredibly awkward and she reached up to rub the back of her neck.

"Well...uh..you're certainly not too late, but we can't do this for long. Alya is coming and I don't want to rush you out the door-" the female chuckled nervously, stepping aside to allow him to walk inside.

Her heart began to race slightly as she couldn't help but to wonder if Felix concealed some sort of weapon in the bag he brought.

"I thought it was a good idea that we got to talking and share a drink?" Felix murmured, turning to face her. The blonde paused, glancing around with a curious expression.

"The children aren't here?" He asked, the male forged a perplexed and curious expression. "The big guy wouldn't let me hold the little princess yesterday..."

Marinette cleared her throat, rocking on her feet briefly before she closed the door.

"Uhm. Yeah, Louis is really protective of his little sister. He probably thought you were a stranger and didn't feel right with you holding her..." Marinette explained. "They're with my parents right now. Alya will be here any minute..." Marinette cleared her throat, watching as Felix reached into the bag and pulled out a glass of wine. "...to go out..." the blunette finished off, her eyes glancing back up at Felix once more.

"I think we should wait for her to arrive while we enjoy a glass of wine." Felix spoke, turning to waltz into her kitchen for her cups.

Marinette sighed, inwardly groaning as all she wanted to do was talk quickly so she could rush him out.

She couldn't understand why Adrien would agree out of all nights to invite him over. The female shook her head, awkwardly following him into the kitchen with a light blush.

"Are you sure you don't want to come another time? Adrien isn't here. He already went out with Nino-"

"We don't need him to talk-" Felix interjected, holding the bottle of wine tighter in his grasp at the sound of his cousin's name. "I came here to enjoy a glass of wine with you. I know Adrien, it's you that I want to know..." his blue eyes began to glance around the kitchen. "I wanted to know the little ones too, but I guess we can do that another time."

Marinette pressed her lips together.

She couldn't tell if it was because of what Adrien mentioned about his cousin previously, but Marinette felt too awkward.

Felix was kind of creepy.

The bluenette crossed her arms and she glanced down.

"I can't drink..." she murmured softly, watching as Felix dug through her cabinets and grabbed two glasses.

"You can't drink? You've got a birth defect? Or perhaps you're against it?" The blonde inquired, briefly glancing back at her.

He placed the glasses on the counter and gripped on to the lid of the wine bottle.

Marinette remained still, attempting to conceal her vexation. She leaned against the entrance into the kitchen.

"No. I can't drink because I'm nursing. Did you forget I just had a baby?" Marinette chuckled weakly, trying to be informant without getting ahead of herself.

Felix popped open the bottle, very casually filling the glasses to the rim. The male gripped the glasses, turning to stroll towards her before he shoved a glass of wine towards her chest.

"So? Just because you're nursing doesn't mean that you can't drink."

Marinette clenched her teeth, lightly grabbing the glass from his hands. She glanced up at him with a blank expression.

"Yes...it does mean that I can't drink. I already told you that I'm nursing..." the bluenette felt bashful, almost as if she was revealing personal information to a complete stranger.

After hearing the terrible things that she did to Adrien, Marinette couldn't help but to be a little apprehensive.

"Alcohol can be passed through the breastmilk. I can't feed that to my baby."

Felix stuffed his free hand into his pocket and nodded. He pressed the glass to his lips, taking a sip with a subtle hum.

"Sounds repulsive...but I guess I can understand where you're coming from. Although I still don't quite get it. I know nursing mothers pump at least a few bottles of milk. Don't you think it would make more sense to do that? I'm sure if you wait a few hours after drinking and then detox, you'd be fine to breastfeed then. I mean until you wait for the alcohol to exit your system you could use the bottles you pumped. I'm sure the bonding would be the same."

Marinette felt her face grow warm with frustration. She exhaled, finally understanding what Adrien was talking about. The female opened her mouth about ready to offer a rebuttal but paused, deciding that it wasn't worth it.

"I guess I don't see the big deal. I also don't think that talking about my breastfeeding is appropriate for casual conversation, but we can both agree to disagree." Marinette bit her lip, her hands lightly clenching around the glass as she wanted to lecture him to deep hell.

He certainly was not a mother and he wasn't the one who breastfed two children. What a snobby stuck up arrogant little-

"How about a quick photo?" The male suggested, lightly swishing the glass in his palm. The male reached into his pockets with his free hand, pulling out his phone and switching it on.

Marinette blinked, completely stunned out of her train of thought.

"O-Oh. I don't know if that's a-"

She gasped, her body stiffening awkwardly as Felix went ahead and linked his arm around her, tugging her close.

The blunette glanced up, her cheeks growing pink from being embarrassed before the flash emanated.

Felix pulled back, glancing at the photo.

"It looks great." He grinned, his fingers sliding across the screen quickly.

Marinette sighed.

If Adrien could handle this much for so long, then he must've been a saint. He was barely here for ten minutes and Marinette was about ready to shove him through the door.

The blunette brushed by him, placing her filled glass on to the counter with a look of utter vexation.

"That was unpleasant..." the female muttered under her breath. She quickly turned, watching Felix fiddle on his phone before he shoved it into his pocket.

"You've got a nice place here..." the male commented, taking another sip of his drink.

Marinette reached up to rub the back of her neck. She parted her lips, ready to thank him for the compliment but was rudely cut short as Felix spoke again.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do for the rest of your life? I mean it seems pretty worn out already. You've got a family at such a young age and you're getting married. Did you think you had everything you wanted accomplished already?"

Marinette glared at him, fully understanding what Adrien meant. Felix was so arrogant and callous. She couldn't help but to wonder if he even thought about what he wanted to say before actually saying it.

She was incredibly offended by his choice of words. She attempted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but with the preconceived notions she received from Adrien, it was highly unlikely that she was willing to give him that opportunity.

"So are you always this audacious?" Marinette inquired, folding her arms and closing herself off to him. "Or shall I blame your parents for raising you to feel so entitled?"

Marinette was fuming slightly. She knew that Felix was always this one track minded, but she never believed that he'd be so entitled and insult her especially under her roof.

Felix chuckled, realizing that he had struck a nerve with her. It was something he seemed to do with everyone he ever encountered.

"Not really..." the blonde pondered, taking another sip of his drink. "I seem to remember being quite humble as a child. I don't think you can blame my parents for that."

Marinette chortled impassively.

"Really? You make it so hard to believe..." she muttered, her face displaying the utmost of displeasure.

Felix grinned, casually wandering over towards her. The male forced Marinette into a corner, his free hand reached out to gingerly touch her face.

Marinette's eyes grew wider than saucers. The blunette was blocked into a corner and she glared up at him. The female naturally moved his hands away from her face, her brow furrowed as she glanced up at him.

"You don't remember me?" He asked, his blue eyes looking into hers and his voice lowered. The male leaned closer to her and Marinette was sure she could smell the alcohol in his breath.

"W-What? What are you talking about?" She hissed, pressing herself harder against the wall. She reached up, beginning to push his arms out of the way in hopes to put more space between them.

Felix lightly pulled back, allowing Marinette to squirm out from underneath his grasp. The blonde placed his half empty glass on to the counter before he turned to face her.

"When I was younger, my parents took me to the Boulangerie Patisserie owned by your parents. It was the best quality money could buy. Of course my parent's were regulars..." the male pondered.

Marinette pressed her lips together unsure what Felix was attempting to jab at.

"Inside...there was a little girl around my age..." the blonde continued, turning around to grab the glass again so that he could take another sip. "She would give me free cookies each time I was there. She was very nice and of course...I naturally fell in love. I have been in love since..." he confessed nonchalantly. "I believe that girl was you..."

Marinette froze, immediately feeling her heart sticking into her throat. A deep blush rose to her cheeks and her eyes veered off.

Now that he mentioned it, she remembered a boy who was always at her parent's bakery. Her mom and father never allowed her out by the windows during rush periods and the moment Marinette thought she made a friend, she'd often sneak cookies out of the kitchen so that they'd have something in common.

"Felix..." Marinette murmured softly. "T-That was so long ago. I couldn't be any older than four. I faintly remember you and I'm flattered that you felt that way about me. But you're the cousin of-"

"How long were you with Luka?" Felix interjected, his blue eyes locking on to her once more as he took a sip. He stuffed his free hand back into his pocket and casually shifted his weight against the counter.

Marinette furrowed her brow, her heart sinking as she wasn't aware that he knew she had been dating Luka.

"U-uhm..." Marinette paused, the heat rushing to her lips. She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck nervously before she glanced up at him.

"Luka and I dated when I was fourteen. That was also many years ago and it was not a serious relationship..." she further elucidated, exhaling with hesitation. "Why does it even-"

"And you chose Adrien?" Felix asked, his eyes glancing down into his drink as he quickly finished it. "It doesn't ever reach your mind that you've probably picked the wrong Agreste?" He asked, reaching over to grab the second glass that Marinette had placed there moments before.

Marinette clenched her fists, his choice of words quickly filling her with anger.

She couldn't believe that he had the nerve to say something like that.

"No. I never once felt like I picked the wrong Agreste. You realise that you're talking about the father of my children.."

"I am...and that's incredibly unfortunate, isn't it?" He mused, his eyes growing completely hallow. "Its a shame that the girl I saw in the bakery ended up being part of the model bandwagon. Do you think you were the only girl who liked Adrien? I mean- I've grown up with him. I know there were a ton of girls who were after the perfect model Adrien Agreste."

Marinette's expression faltered, her head shaking as she looked away from him.

"Do you realise how repugnant you're being? It's insanely appalling. We arent children anymore, Felix. We need to grow and move on..." her voice trailed off.

Felix chuckled, quickly chugging down the wine in the overfilled glass before he placed it back on to the counter.

"Perhaps some of us grew a little too fast. You were a teenage mother, right? Do you think that if Adrien was never in the picture, Luka and I would have had a chance?"

Marinette kept her eyes on him, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. It was nearly unfathomable.

The female stood her ground, refusing to falter in front of him, despite everything he was saying offended her.

Marinette felt her heart squeeze in her chest.

"You're being incredibly rude and invasive..." Marientte replied in a breathy tone. "I think you need to leave, now."

Felix perked a brow, casually folding his arms with a face of pure amusement.

"Really? But I believe I just got here..."

Marinette grunted, anger fueling her veins as his arrogance was starting to get to her. It took everything in her not to smack him right across his face.

"I think you've just overstayed your welcome!" Marinette muttered, spinning on her heels and stomping to the front door.

She gripped the door handle and yanked it open, before she faced him.

"Leave."

Felix glanced up, his brow furrowing the moment he spotted a peculiar purple butterfly fluttering just above the door.

"Did I come at the wrong time?" A soft voice emanated softly from the doorway.

Marinette blinked at the familiar voice. She was so focused on rushing Felix out of the door, she didn't realize that Alya was already standing in the doorway.

"O-Oh-" Marinette breathed, immediately relaxing the moment she saw her friend. At least now Marinette had an even better excuse to push Felix straight out the door and escape for a little bit. "I didn't even realise you were here..." Marinette continued, offering the girl a small smile.

Alya glanced over at Felix curiously, her brow furrowing before occasionally switching her view back over to Marinette.

"I didn't come at a bad time. Did I?"

Felix perked a brow curiously, his blue eyes following the butterfly as it fluttered towards Marinette briefly, before it moved up and just above their heads the moment Marinette spotted Alya.

"Actually-" Felix spoke, standing up straight as he shifted his eyes to both women who waited by the doorway. "I was just leaving..."

The blonde reached into his pockets, phishing out his car keys before he casually approached both of them.

"You can keep the bottle of wine...I guess I'll see you another time." He suggested, his eyes moving over toward the butterfly that fluttered outside unnoticed by both women.

Marinette rolled her eyes, turning her head away from him as she certainly didn't hope to see her again.

Had it not been for Gabriel enforcing that he'd attend, Marinette would have uninvited from the wedding.

She didn't even want him in her home around her family.

He was far too invasive, rude and completely arrogant.

"We'll see..." the blunette simply muttered, ignoring the male as he nodded toward Alya and excused himself by leaving through the open door.

Felix wasn't in the least bit surprised the moment the door slammed shut behind him. A small smile began to spread across his face as his eyes averted back to the butterfly that was just out of his reach.

He had recalled that Adrien mentioned Hawkmoth could gain control of people. Lila had nearly ruined his life before she apparently undid everything she did.

The wheels in his head began to turn as he started to realise what it all meant. He understand how it worked.

The blonde began to wonder towards his car, looping his keys into his fingers but not before looking at a quick glimpse of his phone screen.

A wide smile spread across his lips once more as he peered down at the photo of him and Marinette together.

Of course he simply he couldn't help himself.

Adrien loved photos of his wife anyway.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: **

**Hello my loyal readers! **

** I have made an author's note similar on my other story about the update schedule.**

**Updates are to be published every Saturday. If I reach a certain milestone I will post earlier, and if there are any delays they will be announced on my wattpad account under the same pen name.**

** I updated early because of my friends wedding and if there are some grammatical errors I apologize in advance. I wanted to get this out to you guys as I won't have time to update over the weekend.**

** Thanks for understanding! **

Adrien sighed, his phone feeling heavy in the palm of his hand.

He never received photos on his phone from family quite often and on the slim chance that he did, he didn't really care for it.

His extended family liked to show off the extravagant trips they'd often go to and Adrien would also often be the one having to see it.

He never gave it the time of day. Adrien wasn't the gloating type, perhaps Chat Noir was, but that was a totally different persona.

This photo in particular, seemed to have caught his eyes. He had known Marinette for many many years and it was quite awkward to see his blushing wife smushed up against Felix with a drink in her hand.

He found it a bit odd.

As far as he knew, Marinette and Felix didn't know one another. She was nursing and didn't drink and Marinette usually would have told him if someone was supposed to be over, especially someone like Felix.

Adrien felt his heart sink, wondering if something was up that he wasn't supposed to know about but he couldn't help but to feel like Felix was up to something.

He was always up to something.

"Ew... he actually said he loved you? Are you sure he wasn't being a troll?" Alya asked, her eyes glancing up at Marinette who squeezed into her wedding dress.

The girls had just returned from seeing a movie and enjoying a dinner together, while it was fun, Marinette couldn't wait to get back home. She had promised Adrien that she'd try on the dress that Gabriel and Audrey had collabed on.

The blunette slipped the dress on, her blue eyes admiring the way it perfectly hugged her body.

It actually fit.

"Y-Yeah. He pointed out how he met me when we were literally like four..." Marinette explained, turning over to glance at herself in the mirror. "I-I mean it would have been more believable if he wasn't such a creep. He was so rude. He seems to have something against Adrien..." Marinette glanced back at Alya who reopened the wine bottle that Felix had brought.

Marinette gasped, her eyes widening as Alya popped the worn out cork and began to smell into it. The brunette curiously pressed her lips to the opening and took a sip before she nodded in approval.

"Why are you drinking that break's death wine?!" The blunette exclaimed, her hands clutching the the bottom of her dress so that she could walk into the other room and scowl Alya.

"What?" Alya immediately defended, placing the bottle back on to the counter. The female attempted to plug the cork back into it to no avail.

"I'm not pregnant, technically I can drink this. I won't let a whole ass bottle of wine go to waste."

Marinette sighed, rolling her eyes as she stumbled towards the living room. She plopped herself on the couch with a grimace.

"I'm trying to be serious here." The blunette grimaced. "I knew he was bad when Adrien mentioned him, but I didn't think he was this bad."

Alya wandered over towards the sofa, sitting beside her gently. The female fumbled for the remote that somehow got lodged between the cushions.

"Are you going to tell Adrien about it?" The brunette asked, flipping on the smart tv. "You know, about the whole Felix claiming he was in love with you since you were a toddler confession."

Marinette sighed, never really thinking about if it mattered that Felix had said such a thing. She already knew that Adrien thought he was a bully. She couldn't believe a word that came out of his mouth. Did it really matter if Adrien knew?

"I mean, I think all that will do is just make Adrien self conscious. He already feels so small around Felix because all his cousin does is bring him down. I don't want to be a catalyst for that..." her voice trailed off as she fiddled with her dress.

"I guess I can see where you're coming from..." Alya replied, tossing the remote to the side as she put on any random halloween movie.

"But you also have to consider Felix's motives. If he's as cunning as you say he is, there's no doubt that he's trying to plant some sort of sour seed in Adrien's head."

Marinette pressed her lips together, knowing that Alya was right but not knowing how to go about it.

"I just don't want to exacerbate a lie..." Marinette sighed. "If I tell him that, it'll just bring it more attention. It would just be better if I don't acknowledge it and sweep it under the rug."

Alya groaned, leaning more so into the sofa with an open mouth.

"You think way too much, Marinette. You tend to make things worse when you do that..."Alya sat up, reaching up to push her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.

"Look..." she cleared her throat, sitting up straighter all the while grabbing Marinette's attention. "You remember how you kept things from Nathan? He kind of had the wrong impression of you and he ended up getting between you and Adrien and it ended up straining you guys?"

Marinette inwardly flinched, her heart aching at the memory of her and Nathan and how bad Adrien reacted to the incident of Nathan kissing her in the classroom.

"Do you remember how it went when you kept Louis a secret from Adrien? I mean sure, you only knew him as Chat Noir at the time but had you not opened up and talked to him about it, Louis wouldn't actually be here." Alya continued, her hands folding on her lap.

Marinette felt her heart sink, her eyes glancing down as she couldn't bear to imagine her life without Louis. She simply couldn't. If she could go back in time and smack herself for ever considering giving him up for adoption, she most certainly would.

She was young and scared, she wasn't thinking straight but even so she should have been honest with Chat. She just wasn't sure how he'd react to it.

"Even while you were pregnant with Emma..." Alya continued, her eyes shifting back to Marinette who suddenly seemed small in her dress. "You weren't planning on telling him about your pregnancy and you gave him the chance to think the worst."

Marinette sighed, reaching up to run her hands through her hair with a grimace.

"I get it..." the blunette murmured. "I'm a terrible person who hurts people by not communicating..." she glanced down, her fingers sliding through the rhinestones of her dress. "Thanks for reminding me..."

"That wasn't my intention or the point I was trying to make to you." Alya countered apologetically, turning to place her hands on her friend's shoulder and encouraging her to look.

"What I meant was... if you want a happy relationship...if you want a healthy one full of trust and honestly, you can't keep things from people. You have to talk to each other. You told me once that if you cared for someone you'd be open to them."

Marinette glanced down, her heart squeezing in her chest as she tried to allow Alya's words to sink into her head.

The female parted her lips, about ready to say something when she paused the moment she spotted the window at the end of the hall tug open.

Alya immediately furrowed her brow, turning at the noise and the female stood up, ready to fight anyone who was about to burglarize Marinette's home.

Marinette gulped, her scalp growing cold as she recognized the glowing green eyes that glanced up at them in the dark.

"CHAT! NO!" Marinette exclaimed, immediately hiding behind Alya as her heart thumped away within her chest.

"You're not supposed to see me in the dress!"

Alya breathed out, shaking her head and glaring at Chat who shut the window behind him.

"What are you doing here?!" She hissed. "This is a girls night out! Where did you leave Nino?!"

Chat widened his eyes, a helpless expression on his face as the hero reached up to rub the back of his neck.

His blonde hair ruffled underneath the torture of his claws and Chat Noir could faintly remember Nino sitting at the bar by himself moments after Adrien excused himself to the bathroom and climbed out the window desperately.

"You left him there, didn't you?" Alya deadpanned, her expression going totally flaccid.

"Look, I just wanted to see Marinette..." the blonde conceded, holding his hands up defensively. "There was something I wanted to talk to her about."

"Well you can't talk to her now!" Alya interjected, approaching the clueless cat and placing her hands over his eyes.

"She's in her wedding dress!"

Chat immediately cowarded away from Alya's hands that clamped over his domino mask.

"I didn't know! I received a photo that explained something entirely different!"

Marinette nearly toppled over her dress. The female had a hunch of what he was talking about, but had hoped she was wrong. She had hurried into her bedroom while Alya had him distracted so that she could change into something appropriate.

"What are you even talking about? Marinette was with me the whole time...unlike someone who leaves their friends behind at the bar."

Marinette shut the door, carefully removing the dress from her body and placing it back on to the hanger that she recieved it on. She had placed the black dress bag on top of it to keep it covered before she stuffed it back into the closet.

"I was going to go back for him. I just needed to talk to Marinette real quick..." his voice trailed off as Marinette was nowhere in sight.

Alya sighed, shaking her head.

"Its fine..." she stepped back from him. "I'll go grab Nino..." the brunette rubbed the back of her neck as she remembered that Marinette and Adrien had a lot to talk about, especially after Felix's infiltration.

Chat frowned, shaking his head.

"No. It's okay. I said I was going back."

Alya shook her head, glancing back at Marinette's closed door before the female changed her direction to grab her bag. She phished for the remote, quickly shutting off the television.

"Its fine. Its getting late anyway. I'll explain the situation." She replied, crossing her arms as she glanced at the helpless kitty in the hallway.

"You and Marinette really do need to talk..."

Chat pressed his lips together, suddenly feeling nervous at Alya's tone of voice. He could have cared less about her scowl in an effect of Nino being left alone, but the male couldn't help but to wonder if it had anything to do with the photo that Felix had sent him.

He certainly did notice the bottle of wine that Alya had picked up and insisted on taking with her on her ventures to catch up with Nino.

The heavy feeling in his chest didn't cease even as Alya waved goodbye and left him alone in the hallway, completely tormented by his thoughts.

The male bit his lip, pacing back and forth as his thoughts began to bring up the worst possible scenario. He wondered if Marinette had told Alya something that she was about to tell him.

The noises quickly died down the moment he heard the door open and his love stepped out into the hallway wearing her pyjamas.

"Chat? Is everything okay?" Marinette whispered, closing the bedroom door behind her.

Chat turned to grab his staff, the male casually sliding his thumb up to protrude the screen to his convenience.

"Y-Yeah..." he conceded bashfully. "I uh...I was shown a photo and I just wanted to-"

"You wanted to see what I was up to?" Marinette asked, perking a brow. "Look... I wasn't drinking and I wasn't partying with your cousin. You sent Felix up here to get to know me better and that's what we tried to do until he started getting all weird. He put that drink in my hand and I didn't even know he was going to take that photo. He just waltzed up to me and-

"What?" Chat asked, furrowing his brow as he cut her sentence off. "I didn't send Felix up here..." he breathed, turning his staff over to show her the photo on the screen.

"You see this face?" He asked, his claw pointing to Marinette's face reflected in the photo. "That face looks terrified."

The male pulled back, retracted his weapon and placing it on to the belt behind him. "I thought Felix was doing something to you. I just get a random photo from Felix with you in it and the look on your face terrified me. I know you get uncomfortable sometimes but when it came to Felix, I was really scared that he'd hurt you. I had no idea that he came over."

Marinette widened her eyes, a subtle blush coating her cheeks as she began to realise why Adrien thought it was necessary to come in through her window as Chat.

"Wait..." the blunette furrowed her brow as she stood up straight. "Felix told me that you suggest he'd come over to talk and know us better." She reached up to run her hands through her hair. "You mean to tell me that you had no idea?"

Chat frowned, his ears flattening against his head.

"No..." he replied, his tail moving between his legs cowardly. "I didn't tell Felix to be here at all. I don't feel comfortable with him being alone with you." A small blush appeared on his cheeks as Marinette shot him daggers.

"N-Not that you aren't capable of handling yourself...I-I just feel like he's too much of a creep. We're the bug and cat team regardless."

Marinette sighed, loosening her arms against her chest before she wandered towards him and wrapped her arms around her kitty.

Her cheek pressed into his chest and Chat had not hesitated to wrap his arms around her and press gentle kisses to the top of her head.

"You never told me that Felix was a liar..." she murmured, closing her eyes. "I let a complete stranger come into my home with alcohol and be alone with me because he told me that it was your idea. Something about us being new family. I can't believe I fell for that."

Marinette inwardly scolded herself, her heart squeezing in her chest as she couldn't believe how naive she was.

Chat held her tightly, his face nuzzling into her hair as his tail wrapped around her waist protectively.

"I said he was a manipulator...they kind of go hand in hand with each other. I'm just glad that you are safe..."

Marinette sighed, her eyes closing as she felt his tail wrap around her.

If he had lied about Adrien agreeing to let him over, she was almost positive that he was lying about his so called feelings for her.

The blunette clenched her fists, only wondering what Felix's intentions were. He had clearly sent that photo to Adrien with the malicious intent to gauge a reaction. If that was the case, it would have been completely fruitless to tell Adrien about Felix's phony confession.

Was he hoping for her to tell him? Just to add on to the emotional torment?

It was utterly cruel.

To torture Adrien and then to use her in doing so.

Frankly, it really pissed her off.

Marinette pulled back, her blue eyes scanning the area curiously before she looked back up at Chat.

"Where's Alya?" She asked, stepping away from Chat. "Is she hiding?"

Chat exhaled, offering her a sheepish smile as he reached back to rub the sides of his neck.

"Uh...she left to go find Nino. She wasn't too thrilled that I had left him at the bar to go find you..." the male explained, his voice light and quivering.

Marinette groaned, leaning against Chat who felt compelled to wrap his arms around her again.

"Alright...let's go get our babies." Marinette rasped as she tried to stifle a yawn.

Chat blinked, his claws lightly tugging on to her pyjama shirt.

"Don't you think you should change?" The male asked, a small smile tugging on his lips.

Marinette rolled her eyes with a small giggle. She reached up to lightly tug on the bell on his chest.

"Me? I have mommy rights! I can dress like this." She bit her lip, stepping back and turning around to cheekily flaunt her attire.

"You...on the other hand..." Marinette mused, her eyes shifting over to Chat once more. "You can't go into my parents house dressed as Chat Noir..."

Chat pouted, his ears flattening against his hair once more.

"What? I can't? But the kids love me when I'm Chat Noir..."

Marinette shook her head, crossing her arms as she shot him a hard reprimanding glance.

"No. Because the last thing I need is for Louis to scream 'daddy daddy' to Chat Noir. My parents would either speculate that I've had an affair with quite of a popular hero and had his children or they'll put two and two together and guess that my husband who I am about to marry lived a double life as a super hero..." the lines under eyes deepened. "And if they know you're Chat Noir it's only a matter of time before they suspect that I'm ladybug and it'll just be a huge mess!"

Chat chuckled, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her cheek with a small blush underneath his black domino mask.

"I guess nagging me is part of your mommy rights...along with your helicopter mom tendencies..." the hero teased, his lips pressing against the edges of her mouth.

Marinette turned her face, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before she pulled back to glare at him

"I'll hit you if you call me a helicopter mom again..."


	10. Chapter 10

"I swear I don't get sleep anymore..." Marinette yawned as she threw a few of her old photos into a box.

Luka chuckled, grabbing a few of Marinette's fabric that she had in her office.

It was quite the bitter feeling for the both of them to be back in the office that Marinette used to work under for Audrey Bourgeois.

Since Marinette had returned from the United states, she had her heart set on starting a business of her own.

She learned a few great business tactics from her parents who owned a successful bakery and she already had a model lined up

Adrien agreed to be her front line model, and because he was already so popular, she was sure she wouldn't have trouble making a few sales.

Both her parents and Adrien agreed that they'd help her invest monetarily with her business and Marinette couldn't have been more grateful. This would be another adventure after she got married.

"Is it the new baby?" Luka asked, folding the pieces of fabric and placing them into the box carefully. "I hear newborns are up every often or so..."

Marinette pressed her lips together, opening her desk and pulling out all of her pens and sketchbooks.

"Don't even mention Emma..." the blunette breathed, placing her things into the box neatly.

"It was super hard to allow Alya to babysit the kids. I dont know why, but I cant even leave them both out of my sight for more than ten minutes. I'm not sure what it is, but I have to keep them around me. Adrien teases me all the time by calling me a helicopter mom..."

Luka snorted at Marinette's explanation, as he turned and then began to grab a few of her paintings off the wall and placed them towards the door so that they were ready to grab and store them into Luka's truck.

"So if it's not the children; what's keeping you up?" He asked, standing up straight and stretching his back.

Marinette glanced up at him with a grimace.

"Well...its partly because of Adrien's family members...one in particular kind of makes me uncomfortable, but aside from all of that its planning the wedding.

Whoever said that wedding planning was fun and easy should take a cheese grater to the nipple. Because that it complete bullshit..."

Luka hummed, acknowledging Marinette's frustration. He grabbed Marinette's dress form dummies towards the door along with some boxes he had finished packing up.

"Have you talked to Adrien about these things? I'm sure if he could help something he'd get right on it."

Marinette subtly nodded, grabbing a box and carrying over to the pile of packed things by the door.

"Yeah. I did talk to him about it..." she blushed, reaching up to rub her cheek. "Its funny. We're finally learning how to communicate. He told me he would go down there while I was packing to see if he could talk Felix out of coming to the wedding or at least talk to his father about the issues that's been going on."

Luka stood up, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. His cheeks began to blush from the heat and he exhaled deeply.

"I hope he could do something about it. Nino and Alya told me that Felix was kind of a creep. I didn't realise that it was bad enough to get him uninvited to probably the most anticipated wedding of Paris."

Marinette rolled her eyes, reaching up to rub her temples as she had completely forgotten about the media.

"Ugh... thanks for reminding me." Marinette muttered, turning around to return to her desk. She began to grab the photos of her family as well as the cute colored drawings Louis made her.

"My children will be there. I have to talk to Adrien about hiring security. I had completely forgotten about how rabid the media could be. I need this event to be safe for my guests and for my children..." the lines under her eyes deepened as the stress only grew more tense.

That was probably the only downside about marrying into the Agreste family.

Well, that and the possibility of having to be stuck with Felix every once and awhile now that he was family to her.

"I think you think too much. I know Adrien has great security. Even when we knew him as kids, he always had an entourage around him. I think he should have that covered." He chuckled, carefully approaching Marinette. "When you get home you need to relax with your husband or this stress will just cause you two to fight. Look forward to your honeymoon together with your children and when you come back, you can start your business with your family."

The male crossed his arms, causally leaning on the desk beside Marinette.

"There are beautiful parts in life. If you focus too much on what stresses you out, you'll lose out on those moments."

Marinette blushed deeply, the blunette biting her lip as she glanced down. She sighed, her hands fiddling with the picture frame in the box that sat atop the desk.

"Yeah...I guess you're right..." she murmured, her heart squeezing with delight at the thought of flying away to Spain on her honeymoon with her husband and her children.

She partially worried if Emma was too young to travel, but that would be something that she'd worry about at a later date.

"Thanks...for helping me move all of my things. I did ask Adrien to join us after talking with his father and his cousin- erm I mean if he ever made it out alive, but he said he couldn't be back in this office...it apparently triggers bad memories." The female sighed, simply attempting to shrug it off.

"Ah, I believe I heard about that. The last akuma forced Adrien to suffer a different fate, one that will scar him for the rest of his life." Luka replied, his fingers rubbing his chin as he glanced around for anything else that may have needed to be moved.

Marinette nodded, closing the box on her desk and lifting it up to bring to the pile by the door.

"Mm...yeah. I feel bad for him but I wish there was something more I could do for him. I have to admit that it gets frustrating that I have to remind him constantly that I'm really here and that our family exists. Felix's manipulation doesn't exactly help either..."

Luka furrowed his brow, glancing at Marinette who placed the box down by the door.

"Well if there's anything you could do; it's to be there for him. Adrien is permanently traumatized, and the anxiety with that comes often than he'd like it to. You don't want him to feel anxious to talk to you, or worried that he's annoying you..." the male approached Marinette, placing his hands into his pockets. "I understand that having to repeat yourself could seem a little tedious and frustrating but you have to push that aside and put yourself in his shoes. That could make a person feel lonely if they're forced to empty themselves so that they feel nothing, but that ends up just hurting more"

Marinette widened her eyes, her heart sinking as she listened to his words. The blunette frowned, lightly shaking her head with sorrow.

"N-No. Adrien would never annoy me. I know that I'll be here for him for whatever he needs..." Marinette replied, her hand clutching the collar at her chest.

"I promise my life on it..."

Luka nodded, crossing his arms.

"Then take my advice...when you get home after this, make sure you enjoy the time you spend together and put yourself in his shoes. Be patient with him, I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

Marinette face palmed, her heart sinking as she groaned.

"Oh. I totally forgot...I can't go home after this. My parent's have started the base to my wedding cake. They want me to bring the list of allergies. Some of Adrien's family members are sensitive to gluten.

There are a few cake toppers I wanted on the cake, they need them to complete it." Marinette ran a hand through her bangs, her heart sinking as wedding planning was just as stressful as she mentioned before.

Luka laughed, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Well then, I guess that means that you'll have to bring some cupcakes as comfort food when you leave."

"Why did you lie to Marinette?" His voice was a lot sharper than he had originally anticipated, but he was incredibly tired of Felix's constant meddling.

Felix chuckled, the male sitting up from Adrien's old bed. The male wandered over towards the foosball table and gently began to wiggle at the handles.

"Because I knew she wouldn't let me come over if she didn't have your word to say so."

Adrien narrowed his eyes as his cousin, the model choosing to keep a distance between the two of them.

"I don't control who Marinette decides to be friends with. She's her own person who makes her own decisions. If Marinette wanted to see you, the best bet would have been honest with her. Whatever decision she gave you then would have been her own. We are getting married, but that doesn't mean we own each other."

Felix chuckled, noddling his head before turning briefly to face him.

"Ah, right. As if her decisions wouldn't be based on the horrible things you've probably said about me." He replied, an awkward smile on his lips before he turned to focus on the game at hand.

Adrien felt his face grow warm, his fists clenching.

"I don't think I've had to say any bad things about you. You've pretty much fucked that up for yourself the moment you lied to her."

Felix snorted, eventually ditching the game and wandering over towards Adrien's closet where he began to tug out garments of Adrien's clothes.

The male ripped off Adrien's photoshoot costumes and tossed them on the floor.

"I have a funny feeling that the lie wasn't what put me off to her..." the blonde mumbled, recalling how disgusted she was when he teased her the way he did. "I'm assuming she knows I sent you the picture."

Adrien glanced down with a grimace, his green eyes scowling at his clothing that lay on the ground. The model knelt down, lightly grabbing his birthday blue scarf off the hard wood floor and placed it on to his shoulder. He wasn't sure what his cousin was looking for, but at this point he had bigger things to worry about.

"I get that you like to poke fun and manipulate me and do all kinds of gross things...but I don't want Marinette to be apart of any of it. Whatever vendetta you have against me, I'd prefer for it to stay against me. Marinette should not be involved as well as any of our children..." Adrien muttered, crossing his arms with a grimace.

Felix shook his head, phishing out Adrien's old flex rock climbing gloves.

"Nah. It was a little fun while it lasted. I admitted to her that I remembered her from a long time ago..." Felix sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Back to the times my parents used to be regulars at her bakery. I tried to admit that I was in love with her, but she really wasn't buying it."

Adrien rolled his eyes, hearing this story before. He remembered Felix taunting him about it before he even knew who Marinette was.

"Yeah what four year old knows what love is?" Adrien replied with a dejected sigh before he sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Yeah but don't worry. She turned me down quick!" Felix rasped, sliding the gloves on and strolling over towards the rock climbing wall Adrien had in his room. "The perfect model Adrien Agreste was her cup of tea. Honestly thought she might change her mind and go for Luka though. Aren't those two together right now?" He teased.

Adrien ignored the last part of his sentence with a cold hard glare.

"Sounds like someone is disappointed with who Marinette chose to be with."

Felix shook his head, gripping on to the plastic rocks with a grunt.

"Nope. I don't think me being disappointed is a disappointment you have to worry about. I'd say it's more of hers."

Adrien scoffed, reaching for the scarf on his shoulder and pulling it into his lap. "Yeah right. As if Marinette is disappointed that she let you down..."

Felix climbed up a few rocks, pausing so that he could glance down at Adrien.

"Oh. I don't mean me. I mean you...and possibly any other guy or girl who does a shitty job in protecting her."

Adrien furrowed his brow, his fists clenching as he tightened his jaw.

"Who needs to protect Marinette? She and I do fine together. If anything Marinette can hold her own. You have no idea how strong she really is..." Adrien replied coldly, his heart racing in his chest.

Felix scoffed as he began to carefully climb up the wall.

"Strong? That's why she was squashed like a pancake. Not even Chat Noir could his job to save her. I guess some people do more good dead than they are alive..."

Adrien widened his eyes, almost as if Felix's words sent a knife to his heart. He quickly glanced up at Felix, his hands clutching into his scarf as he withheld the tears that threatened to pool at the edges of his eyes.

"H-How could you say something like that?" Adrien asked, his voice quivering slightly.

Felix simply rolled his eyes.

"I'm not wrong though. Chat Noir couldn't save her and he did a shitty job of catching her. I mean I know that Lila apparently undid everything, but damn that's got to suck for him. That's something he has to live with for the rest of her life. If Marinette is a strong as you say, then it certainly means that she only needed him that one time and he fucked up."

The male released the rock and began to climb back down.

"Heros don't make grave mistakes like that. I guess he's as bad as a hero as you are a husband! What a life of displeasure for Marinette." He scoffed.

Adrien felt his heart sink.

He knew that Felix only said these things to bother him, but he couldn't help but to feel like his cousin was right. He had failed Marinette...and he was constantly failing Marinette, especially as her hero.

"Who are you to tell me I'm a bad husband?" Adrien asked, slowly standing up and holding on to the blue scarf tautly. "What family do you have? What children do you have? Where's your wife, Felix?" Adrien hissed through his teeth, his heart thumping relentlessly against his chest.

Felix chortled, a small grunt leaving his lips as he hopped off the wall and landed on his feet effortlessly.

"I'm pretty sure they're as nonexistent as your mother, Adrien..."

Adrien froze, anger boiling in his veins the moment Felix spoke. The male immediately turned away from him, gripping on to the scarf and storming out of the room.

Adrien climbed down the grand stair case and shoved the doors of the mansion out of his way.

Plagg gasped, tumbling around in Adrien's collar as his chosen exited his father's mansion. The little kwami had been asleep, but he could sense the anger coursing through his skin.

"Hey- Hey-" Plagg gasped, poking his head out to get a better look at the blonde. "What's the rush for?"

"He's right..." Adrien murmured, his voice quivering as tears pooled in his eyes. "I failed her as Chat Noir and I'm failing now as a father and as a husband. Marinette will find me out. She's going to leave me like my mother left me... I'm not good enough and she deserves-"

"What are you talking about?!" Plagg exclaimed, the small creature hanging off the Male's collar.

The kwami grunted as Adrien rounded a corner, sliding himself into a hidden alleyway.

"Here-" Adrien sobbed, pulling off his ring and shoving into Plagg who floated above him. "Have your miraculous back. Go find someone else who isn't the cause of another human being's life."

Plagg grunted as the ring was forcefully pushed into his gut. The small creature held on to the ring with wide eyes.

"A-Adrien!" Plagg exclaimed towards his chosen. "You can't think like that. It was in the past. You are a human, you make mistakes. I've been alive for thousands of years and I've made a million mistakes!" The small creature watched as Adrien turned his back to the kwami.

The blonde buried his face into the blue scarf, his shoulders shaking as he cried. Adrien wiped his ears on to the scarf, ignoring Plagg and exiting the alleyway.

Plagg frowned, he hesitated. He didn't want to be caught, but he couldn't let Adrien give up just like that.

He sighed, groaning to himself with frustration before he took off after Adrien.

"Adrien! It's in the past. I know its hard but you have to let it go! You cant just give up like that!"

Plagg grunted, spinning around in circles as a purple butterfly brushed passed him at a rapid speed.

Adrien ignored Plagg, all he could feel was the immense pain in his chest and all he could see was the tears pooling in his eyes.

Plagg paused, his eyes widening as the butterfly moved closer and closer to Adrien.

"Adrien! Please!" He begged, immediately halting in his tracks the moment the butterfly made contact with the blue scarf in Adrien's hand.

Adrien paused, his eyes narrowing the moment he could see the purple frame around his eyes.

Adrien clenched his fists, listening to the familiar voice in his head

At least then, he knew he wouldn't feel so alone anymore.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Marinette's baby reached 190k reads and this is a huge deal to me! So enjoy this early update as a celebration! Thank you guys so much!

I apologize for any grammatical errors! Please forgive me!

Louis held Alya's phone in his hands.

It was getting late and his auntie Alya had fed and put Emma to bed.

The toddler had finished his meal and cuddled next to Alya to watch TV but he was bored.

He glanced up at Alya who fell asleep on the couch, the cartoons playing on low volume in the background.

Louis could make out a photo of his mother in Alya's phone, but he couldn't understand the text that went along with it. He carefully stood up, placing the phone back beside Alya as the games she allowed him to play on it just wasn't cutting it anymore.

The toddler rubbed his eyes, yawning as he wandered down the hall towards his sister's bedroom.

Louis poked his head into her room, a small smile on his lips as he witness the baby sleeping peacefully in her crib.

He bit his lip, quickly stepping inside and rushing up to the crib to get a better look. Louis stood on his tip toes, hanging on to the edge of the crib as he wanted to give his sister a little kiss.

The toddler paused, his heart racing as he heard something at the window.

The protective big brother in him, kicked in and he hoisted himself on to the bars of her crib. Louis stood over Emma's crib, his blue eyes fixated on the moonlight that casted an eerie silhouette in the window.

Louis gripped tighter on to his sister's crib as the window opened.

Baby Emma stirred slightly at the noise but she remained asleep.

Louis widened his eyes, trembling with fear as a being climbed through the window.

The being's blonde hair bounced lightly on his head.

The blue scarf around his neck gently blew with the cold gusts of wind that emanated from behind him.

His skin was completely white and shiny. He was made out of porcelain, and his eyes were completely black.

Poisoned inked tears leaked out from the edges, dripping on to the hard wood floor and burning holes.

Louis gasped, his eyes glancing down at the small wakes of smoke that had started from the poison.

Louis only kept himself in front of Emma. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his little sister, even if that meant throwing himself under the bus.

The toddler gulped, watching the strange creature silently walk over to them. His eyes were completely black, Louis couldn't look into them, they were just too scary.

Louis was about to yell. He was about to scream for his auntie Alya to come in and help them.

That was until the figure spoke...

"Hey buddy..." he whispered, the black tears evaporating on his shiny porcelain skin. "I missed you..."

Louis widened his eyes, the voice striking a nerve with the young one as it sounded so familiar. He wanted to scream, but something in him told him that it was a bad idea.

"Its me..." the figured tried again, stepping into the eerie cast of the moonlight. "Did you forget me already, little guy?"

Louis felt his heart sink.

He knew who this was.

"D-Dadda?" Louis asked, his voice quivering as he immediately hopped off the ledge of Emma's crib and reached out to him. "Daddy..." he whispered, tears pooling in his eyes.

He knew what this meant. He had seen it before.

This was his father, but he knew that his father wasn't well.

"Hey- don't cry..." Adrien whispered, bending down to take the child into his arms.

Louis gasped, his father's embrace was rather cold and hard. It was like he was hugging a nesting doll.

"Do you trust me, little guy?" He asked, pulling back to glance at his toddler.

Louis glanced up at his father, inwardly wincing as all he saw were two black holes for eyes.

But even if he was frightening, this was his father and Louis loved him with everything he had to offer.

The toddler didn't hesitate to nod, he wanted his father to know that he trusted him.

"I need you and your sister to come with me..." Adrien whispered, brushing his cold fingers across Louis' face to remove some hair from his eyes. "And I need you to be really quiet..."

Louis blinked, holding on to his father who approached Emma's crib and very carefully scooped up his newborn daughter and held her close.

Louis immediately wrapped his sister into his arms, knowing that the cold feeling of their father's skin would only make her fussy.

"Going bye byes?" Louis asked with a grimace, wondering why his mother wasn't to be attending with them. "Why?"

Adrien frowned, watching his daughters dark hair mingle in Louis' face as he struggled to hold her.

Akuma or not, Adrien could not lie or hurt his children.

He closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he couldn't allow himself to cry.

He only cried black acid and he knew that wherever his tears touched, the simply burned to a crisp.

He had been drowning for so long no thanks to Felix. He was forced to live with the constant reminder that he failed. He was experiencing the agony of his nightmares again.

But for once this time, he was going to make the world drown in his tears, but he was going to start with Felix.

"Daddy just doesn't want to be alone..." Adrien replied, looking down at Felix who frowned at his father's obvious tormoil.

"B-But mommy?" Louis asked, his heart aching in his chest as he's seen his parents fight villains on TV. He couldn't watch his father hurt his mother...it was terrifying to watch.

"Shhh-" Adrien cooed, turning as he strolled quietly back to the window. "Don't worry buddy...no matter what happens to me...I won't hurt your mother."

Louis blinked, his heart racing as he hoped his father would keep his word. He pressed his lips together, nuzzling into his sister's hair. Both children remained silent as their akumatised father carried them off into the night.


	12. Chapter 12

Marinette yawned, the lines under her eyes deepening as she closed the door to her parent's bakery. She carefully stuck the key into the lock and turned it, almost excited to go home.

She slung her purse over her shoulder, the moonlight casting an eerie shadow against her. The blunette had expected Luka to swing by and pick her up. She was much too tired and walk home and she was almost too ansty to see Adrien.

She missed her family at home. Marinette couldn't help but to feel a little silly. She had only spent a few hours away from her family but she had missed them.

The blunette had purchsed purchased the sweets like Luka had suggested. She had planned to share some with Louis and Adrien.

Of course, Emma was much too young to eat cupcakes and cookies, but Marinette had some milk pumped and ready for her when she returned home.

The blunette waited on the curbside, her brow furrowing as Tikki shifted in her bag.

Marinette glanced down at her kwami curiously.

"Tikki? Are you alright?" She asked, watching the small creature poke her head out at the top of her bag.

The little kwami glanced down, lightly shaking her head.

"I...have a bad feeling..." Tikki told her. "Like something is wrong."

Marinette frowned, the female grabbing the purse and lifting it up to her face to get on eye level with Tikki.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked, her falling slightly as she worried for her kwami.

"Marinette!" A small voice called out to her from behind.

Blue eyes widened and the blunette very quickly turned over to see who had been calling her.

Tikki widened her eyes, immediately floating out of Marinette's bag to greet Plagg half way.

"Plagg? What's wrong? Why are you here?" Marinette asked the small creature, her brow furrowing with confusion as Tikki glanced at Plagg with a grimace. Marinette glanced around, her heart racing as it was quite weird to see the kwami but not the holder.

"W-Where's Adrien?" The female asked, glancing at Tikki who seemed to want to know the answer to that as well.

"I...I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me!" Plagg exclaimed, dropping Adrien's ring into his palm.

Marinette widened her eyes, her heart squeezing painfully in her chest at the sight of Adrien's ring in her palm.

"Plagg. What happened to Adrien?" The female asked, her limbs feeling weak as her first instinct was transform and go out and find him.

Tikki glanced back at Marinette with wide eyes. "We have to find him!"

Marinette felt panic rush through her veins and without a second thought, the blunette had summoned Tikki into her earrings.

Plagg flinched at the pink flash that emanated between the both of them.

The small kwami blinked, gasped as Ladybug wrapped her hand around him and wound up her yoyo.

Plagg yelped, the small creature squirming in the tight grip of her hand as the heroine bounced from rooftop to rooftop.

* * *

"I'm so sorry-" Alya breathed, her eyes wide as Marinette dug through the empty sheets of her daughters empty crib.

"I-I feel asleep by accident. I placed Emma to bed, I locked the doors and Louis was right beside me, playing on my phone-" Alya felt her heart sink, tears pooling in her eyes.

Marinette felt her heart sink, her hands trembling as she tried to grasp what had happened.

The female dug through her bag frantically, looking for her phone in a desperate attempt to contact Adrien.

"Where's Adrien?!" Marinette asked, her voice strained as she glanced at Plagg.

The kwami widened his green eyes, his body jumping back from Marinette's sharp tongue.

"I don't know! I didn't stick around to watch him turn into anything! I came to find you because you're the one who is supposed to get rid of it!"

Marinette ran a hand through her hair, her heart aching in her chest just as she heard a knock at the front door.

Alya paused, her chest heaving as it was evident that she felt at fault.

Before she could even turn to answer it, Marinette made a run for it.

The blunette threw the front door open, her heart sinking the moment she saw Luka standing at her front step.

"Fuck!" She breathed, immediately spinning on her heels and leaving the poor male completely confused at the door step.

Did she really expect Adrien to be standing at the door? The blunette ran a hand through her hair, both kwamis immediately hiding as Marinette returned to Emma's bedroom to search for her phone.

Alya stood in the corner, her legs trembling as she couldn't hide the guilt that wanted to explode out of her eyes.

Both of Marinette's children were gone and Adrien never returned home. Alya was entrusted to take care of them and she couldn't even do that right.

"Is...everything alright?" Luka asked, his voice quivering as Alya began to pace back and forth. "I went to pick Marinette up at the bakery like she had asked, but she wasn't there..." his voice trailed off at the sounds of Marinette's panic.

Alya glanced up at Luka with a horrified expression and she shook her head.

"A-Adrien never returned home..."Alya explained, her eyes lowering. "I fell asleep and both of her children are gone..."

Luka widened his eyes, silently stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

"Wait, what?" The male asked, his voice quivering. "Where could they be?"

Alya sighed, reaching up and pinching the bridge of her nose. "I suspect that Adrien has them...except...I don't think that Adrien is actually Adrien..." the brunette explained, pressing her lips together tautly.

Luka furrowed his brow, his hands casually sliding into his pockets as he couldn't quite understand.

"If...Adrien isn't Adrien...then who could he be?" The male asked, his eyes following Alya as she simply walked back into Emma's room.

The male remained silent, following Alya curiously.

Marinette rocked back and forth on the floor. Emma's blankets and toys were strewn about within the room.

Louis' room had also been torn apart, his clothes were strewn out into the hallway symbolising Marinette's desperate attempts to find her children.

Luka frowned at Marinette's obvious distress and it was evident that Marinette's face had been changing colors.

The blunette could recall the moment she searched through Louis' crib and found him missing the night Nathan took him. It left the same anxiety and sick feeling in her stomach even now when she couldn't find either of her children.

Her phone trembled in her hand and Marinette couldn't stop the tears that pooled at the edges of her eyes from ebbing.

Adrien's phone rang, and rang and rang but there was no answer.

Adrien was no doubt akumatised and had whisked their kids off somewhere.

But it was known that all Akumas did was wreak havoc and cause harm to the people around them.

When Louis was kidnapped, he wasn't eating or drinking. The toddler was being treated poorly by his captor.

The thought of her daughter not getting her requirement of milk and Louis not eating his favorite nugget and applesauce broke her heart into a million pieces.

She would have loved to believe that Adrien wouldn't hurt their children, but when it came to Hawkmoth, anything was possible.

Luka crouched down beside Marinette, his hand gently resting on Marinette's shoulders as she sobbed.

"Not again..." she breathed.

"No please not again..." she sobbed, her hand clutching around the phone as the call went to voicemail.

"NOT AGAIN!" She exclaimed, her voice escalating as she threw her phone across the room.

Alya widened her eyes her hands cupping her mouth as she blamed herself for everything.

"We should go out and look for them..." Luka whispered, drawing Marinette close to him as the sound of her sobs broke him to pieces.

Marinette shook her head, quickly wiping the tears away from her cheeks.

"No..." her voice broke as she pulled away from Luka and stood up.

"I'll go find Adrien. You both stay here in case he decides to return. Just call me..."

Alya ran a hand through her hair, her chest heaving as she cried from the guilt.

"Marinette...at least let me help you find them. This was all my fault."

Marinette shook her head, tucking some hair behind her ear as she peeled back her collar, revealing Tikki.

The small kwami widened her eyes, worried about Luka's presence but Marinette didn't care.

Luka's eyes widened, his heart racing the moment Marinette transformed in front of him.

His blue eyes locked on to Ladybug as she turned and shoved open the window.

She glanced back at her friends one last time before she climbed out the window to find her children and her akumatised husband.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This was totally unrelated to the angst of today's episode. Sksks.**

**Anyway, this chapter is unedited. I will probably get the edited one updated in a couple of days. I've not slept in possibly weeks and my brain is jumbled up and there's so much unnecessary drama in my real life. So so much angst all the time. Someone help pls.**

**I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors as I'm sure there may be a few as you read on. I hope you guys will still enjoy.**

**The first part of this series is at nearly 200k reads and I dont think you guys realise how huge this is for me.**

**Thank you guy so so much! Words can not Express my gratitude and thank you to those who have read the first book and 3 more books later are still here.**

**I keep track of my reviews so I know who you awesome readers are! Expect a follow from me very soon!**

**Have a miraculous day and please stay awesome!**

* * *

"You know her identity. Don't you?"

Adrien's eyes widened, the sound of Hawkmoth's voice echoed throughout his head.

The male could have sworn he heard this voice from somewhere before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Why does that matter?" The blonde replied, his voice weary and strained. "I'll get you the jewels...whatever happens after that should be your own prerogative..." the male crossed his arms, his dark eyes glowered into the Parisian skyline.

He knew it was only a matter of time before Ladybug would show up.

Adrien kept true to his word, he had taken the children to a safe place completely unharmed. He intended to keep the promise he made to Louis by not hurting Marinette.

But how Hawkmoth demanded those miraculouses, it proved to be a harder task than he initially thought.

Adrien knew his wife.

He knew that she would fight him without hesitation, especially knowing that their kids weren't in their beds.

"She could lead us to Chat Noir..." Hawkmoth interjected. "After we take hers then she could-"

"Ladybug doesn't know Chat Noir's identity..."Adrien cut him off flaccidly. "He had been pining her for many years..." his eyes averted to the Eiffel tower at the memory. He could faintly remember how much she had rejected him before the discovered who they really were.

"I can get you Chat Noir's miraculous...you don't need to know Ladybug's secret identity. If by chance we do discover who she really is..you take your jewels and leave...you can't do anything further with her."

The was a pause...Adrien could feel his heart squeezing in his chest. He knew without a doubt that Marinette would be there any moment, but he wanted to make sure Hawkmoth wouldn't go harming her once he learned of her identity.

"You're just gonna have to trust me. I get you both miraculouses...and you leave Ladybug alone after this..." Adrien muttered, his voice dropping lower as his eyes could very faintly make out a silhouette in the moonlight.

He could spot his small framed Queen whisking away across the building's with her yoyo.

"Do we have a deal hawkmoth...?" Adrien prompted, his brow furrowing as he could sense hesitation from his puppeteer.

It wasn't long before Adrien could see the purple frame just above his eyes.

"Deal..." Hawkmoth agreed.

"Alright then..." Adrien murmured. "Let's get started..."

Ladybug grunted as she landed on her feet.

The heroine glanced around the sky, panic sulking within her heart as she looked desperately for her husband.

She didn't quite know what to expect, but she knew that if she had seen Adrien, she would know it was him.

Her mind began to race at a million miles a minute.

Ladybug wanted to believe deep down that Adrien wouldn't hurt their children, but there were no limits as to what he can do.

Ladybug could remember the handful of times that Chat took the blow for her and ended up coming at her with no mercy whatsoever.

She exhaled, her heart aching in her chest.

"Ladybug..."

The voice was like a bell that infiltrated her head. Her heart began to pound erratically inside of her chest..

Akumatised or not, Marinette knew Adrien's voice from anywhere.

Her eyes widened and the blunette averted her gaze to the voice behind her.

Her heart sunk into the pits of her stomach the moment she could make out Adrien's pale white skin and dark black eyes.

The blunette recognized the scarf he wore around his neck right away and it only made the terrible feeling in her stomach incredibly worse.

"Adrien-" she breathed, her eyes nearly tearing up at the sight of her beloved.

"W-What did he do to you?" Her eyes glanced into his.

She wanted to reached out to him, but something in her told her that she wouldn't be able to feel him, or he wouldn't be able to feel her.

"Ladybug..."Adrien replied promptly, the male holding his hand out palms up with a grimace on his face.

"Hand over your miraculous... and we can end this peacefully. I know you don't want to fight me and I certainly don't wish to fight you. We can make this easier for the both of us..." the male glanced down. "It'll be a lot less painful."

Ladybug pouted her lips, the blunette shaking her head and taking a few steps back.

"You know I can't do that..." her voice trailed off slowly. "I need you to tell me where the children are. Please don't make me fight you..." she pleaded.

Adrien frowned, black tears forming at the edges of his eyes. The tar like liquid ebbed from the corners of his eye, searing against his smooth hard porcelain skin as he shook his head.

"They're safe..." he reassured, his frown only growing more grave.

"Adrien..." Ladybug tried again, her heart aching in her chest as Adrien moved closer and closer to her. "Please...tell me where the babies are..."

"No!" The male immediately interjected, the pain in his voice growing more and more evident. "You can't take them from me!"

Ladybug widened her eyes, her heart hammering away in her chest the moment she noticed his tears burning holes into the roof beneath them.

"I-I'll be alone if you take them from me..." Adrien breathed, his eyes widening in an almost menace like way. "I've lost everything Ladybug...I've become nothing..." his voice trailed off as the male blocked the small bug into a corner.

"They're the only ones I have left. The only thing of my past that still hangs on to when I was a somebody."

Ladybug felt her heart sink once more.

It was only then that Marinette realized that she failed him as a partner. She knew that Adrien was under immense stress, but she always assumed that he held his own.

She just didn't expect him to break so easily.

She nearly wanted to fall to her knees. The heroine felt as if she had left him in the dark. She knew that Felix was making things harder for him and Adrien had made it obvious that the hard facade he displayed had only crumbled to pieces the moment Lila had forced Adrien to live through her death over and over.

"A-Adrien-" she replied, her voice quivering as she tried to stifle the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks.

"You never were a nobody... you were always so much more than just a somebody to me..." Ladybug felt her heart squeeze in her chest as it took everything in her not to reach out to him. "I failed you, I shouldn't have taken your feelings lightly. I should have protected you...and understood you..." her voice quivered as she spoke.

"I'm so sorry..."

Adrien shook his head, his eyes widening as Ladybug placed a gentle hand on his face.

If Adrien could feel, he would have habitually leaned into her touch, but he was made out of glass. He couldn't feel a thing.

That concept scared him more than anything.

"Ladybug..." he breathed, black liquid pooling at the edges of his eyes. "I-I cant feel you..."his voice trailed off, his eyes moving towards the earrings in her ears.

Ladybug frowned, unable to tell what he had been looking at.

The heroine furrowed her brow, her heart sinking into her stomach.

"Y-You can't feel me?" She asked, her hand gliding against the white porcelain that was his skin.

Adrien reached up, his fingers lacing around her earring as he was just about to pull it off.

Ladybug widened her eyes, her hand immediately reaching for his arm and twisting it.

In a quick motion Ladybug threw Adrien on to the roof with a quick grunt, yanking him away from her earrings with a grimace.

"Adrien! No!" She exclaimed, her blue eyes glancing down at him as he smacked the surface beneath him.

Adrien gasped, his eyes wide as pain radiated throughout his body.

Ladybug widened her eyes, her heart squeezing painfully as a crack emanated straight up the center of his face.

"Fragile as glass..." Adrien grunted, the dark tears streaming down his face.

"If you fight me...you will kill me..."

Ladybug shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes as she immediately let go of him. She gripped on to her hair, her chest heaving.

"N-No! I can't-" Ladybug stuttered.

There had to be another way to handle this.

Adrien turned over, his arms trembling as he stood up. He glanced up at her, his expression grave as he grew steady on both his feet.

"Just-" Adrien reached out, gripping the lobes of her ears. "Give them to me- Please!" He pleaded.

Ladybug gripped on to his wrists, throwing them both on to the ground, cushioning his fall with her body, her heart aching as she knew she couldn't fight him.

She knew there was a possibility that if she broke him completely, he would die.

Adrien rolled on top of her, his fingers twisting her left earring.

Ladybug pressed her knee against his chest, her heart racing as she could hear the beeping of her earring and her transformation began to wear off.

She had faced many villains before, and it usually didn't matter how strong they were. She always found a way to take them down.

But this was Adrien.

This was her husband. This was someone she loved that had been breaking down for a number of weeks.

This was someone that she failed to validate, to be there for. She knew he had seen things that had changed him and she knew very well that pain changed people.

She couldn't fight him.

Because if she did, she would lose him.

This was one villain she knew she could not defeat.

Tears pooled in her eyes, her heart sinking into the pits of her stomach as she glanced up at him, her mask warping off her face in a pink glow.

"A-Adrien please! I love you..."

* * *

The moonlight casted an eerie shadow in the empty streets of Paris.

Felix wandered about, his blue eyes averting towards the Parisian skyline.

He knew it was only a matter of time before Adrien made his appearance, and if everything went according to plan, Hawkmoth would have used Adrien's negative emotions for his own personal gain.

The male stuffed his hands into his pockets, a smug grin plastered against his lips as he paused, the warm wind blowing through his blonde locks.

At least then he had an opportunity to finally rid his cousin, and he wouldn't be questioned as to why.

Everything was falling into place perfectly.

Felix pursed his lips, casually commuting down the narrow street. The male casually whistled, his eyes searching the rooftops for a possible sign.

He hadn't heard anything from Marinette or Adrien, but he knew that he'd spot Ladybug at one point or another.

And that would have came sooner than he essentially thought.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Just to explain, when I say I'll update on a certain day, I don't mean the chapter will be out at the strike of midnight. I mean that it'll be out sometime that day. If I get it out by midnight, its probably because they're ready and edited. I probably didn't have anything to do and shouldn't be awake and decided to get it out.**

**It also depends on my mood.**

**Fair warning, the chapter isn't edited and may have some grammatical errors. Please don't comment on every single misspelled word. I get it. At this point you aren't helping you're just being a butt. I'm looking for new editors to help me revise the entire series so that future readers could enjoy the content.**

**Thank you guys so much for your patience and I may be stretching this series out more than I needed to, but I have a feeling it isn't done yet...at least for now.**

**Anyway, without further ado...**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

It was almost as if her words had somehow pierced his soul.

Of course, she had said them to him many times before, but he had never heard her breathe them in such pain and agony.

Adrien knew he had only one job to do, and that was to get her miraculous and return them to Hawkmoth. What he wanted to do afterwards, never really occurred to him.

He was well aware that Hawkmoth was using him and would most likely be rid of him the moment he got what he wanted.

But Adrien felt like he didn't matter enough to care.

He had been used by many people he loved all of his life, his father especially.

All his father did was use him.

All his cousin did was use him.

All anyone ever did was use him.

The Male hovered over the blunette, black tarred tears pooling at the edges of his eyes.

The thick liquid stained his cheeks, dripping into the spaces beside the heroine who whimpered underneath his grip.

Ladybug kept her eyes open, despite the sounds of the roof sizzling beside her from the burning tears that dripped off his face.

"You're lying..." Adrien breathed, his voice quivering, almost as if he couldn't allow her words to sink into his head.

"You don't mean that..."

Ladybug's chest quivered, sobs emanating from her throat as she reached up, taking his face into her hands affectionately.

"Adrien no, I mean it. I know I didn't tell you this as many times as I wanted to... but I promise you that I feel this with my heart. I've loved you for such a long time..." she whispered her gloved hands cascading down towards the scarf that sat around his neck.

"Don't listen to her-" Hawkmoth spoke sharply within his head. "She's trying to trick you-"

Adrien paused, his eyes settling in deeply as he listened to what Hawkmoth had to say.

"You're only saying that to capture my akuma..." Adrien replied slightly, the dark holes that was meant to be his eyes only grew darker somehow.

Ladybug widened her eyes, her heart breaking that he would imply such a thing.

"N-No!" She breathed, her hands remaining on her face as she shook her head. "I really do mean it, Adrien you know I wouldn't lie about something like this to you..." her blue eyes veered away, the blunette worried that Hawkmoth was listening in on their conversation.

"I know...that you're seeing someone..." she whispered, knowing very well that all of Paris knew about his engagement to her secret identity.

"But I know that I've loved you since the moment we've met... the last thing I want to do is fight you, or see you go through this pain."

Ladybug lifted herself all the while bringing him closer to her.

"Adrien-" she breathed. "Please listen to me."

Adrien paused, his eyes widening the moment Ladybug's face was merely inches from him.

Before the blonde could even muster the words to prove his lingering doubts, her lips were on his.

He was cold.

Her love was cold to the touch.

Ladybug knew that he was possibly made of porcelain, but she didn't think he would feel so cold like it either.

It shattered her heart to pieces.

Adrien remained still underneath her lips, his chest feeling tight as panic nearly overtook him.

He couldn't feel her.

Ladybug slowly pulled away from the kiss, tears pooling at the edges of her eyes as she struggled to hold herself together.

"Please...tell me where the children are. I won't take them away from you, I'll free you from this evil and you could be with them again." Ladybug whispered softly. "We can't let them alone. Emma is just a baby. She needs her mother..."

Adrien frowned, his eyes closing as he could hear Hawkmoth attempting to infiltrate his mind once more.

The Male moved back, leaving Ladybug completely alone as he gripped on to his hair.

Ladybug widened her eyes, sitting up at capture Adrien's face once more.

"Adrien...don't listen to him..." she breathed, her heart racing inside of her chest as Adrien struggled to will away Hawkmoth's voice that began to threaten and reprimand him.

Adrien couldn't shake this feeling that this sort of thing felt familiar to him.

That sharp voice, that constant disapproval, his complete stubbornness and stubbornness. If Adrien didn't know any better, he'd likely say that Hawkmoth resembled his father immensely.

"Just take me to the kids...and when I free you from this evil, we could go back to our lives. We'll both forget this ever happened and I promise things will change for the better..." her thumb caressed over his cheek, her tears spilling from her eyes as she knew that the change of his mind would be pivotal if not vital to the situation.

She wasn't sure how long Emma had gone without eating, but she knew if Louis was with her, she was in great care until she could get to them both.

"I...I didn't hurt them..." Adrien whispered, his voice cracking. "I would never hurt my children...akumatised or not..." the Male relaxed in her grip, barely even flinching as his heroine's gloved hand brushed against the fresh cracks in his skin. "That's the one thing Hawkmoth can't make me do..." he glanced down, his chin resting against the blue scarf wrapped around his neck.

The blunette narrowed her eyes, her heart racing in her chest as she reached down, her finger looping into the scarf that sat against his neck.

"I-Is this where your akuma is?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she knew Hawkmoth would be watching without a doubt.

Adrien remained quiet, a frown on his lips as his silence wiped away any doubt that Marinette may have had left in her mind.

Her fingers sunk into the material, about ready to draw it away from him and release the akuma but was struck dumb the moment Adrien stopped her.

"Wait-" he breathed, his voice remaining solemn. "Let me take you to Louis and Emma first...if you free me now..." he glanced back at her with a grimace. "I wouldn't remember where I hid them..."

Ladybug exhaled, her heart squeezing in her chest as she knew Adrien would come around eventually. No matter what Hawkmoth did to him, she knew he would still be in there somehow. Ladybug knew to be on the lookout. She knew there could always be a possibility that he could trap her, but she had remained so hopeful in finding her kids. That was her main priority.

To find the kids, rush them to safety and then deal with Adrien when she knew they were away and safe at home, ready for both of their parent's return.

"Y-You'll take me to them?" Ladybug whispered, her voice quivering.

Adrien offered her a weary smile, that sent butterflies straight into her heart.

"Of course. I made a promise to Louis that I wouldn't hurt you. I know keeping both of them away from you..

And...and seeing me like this is hurting you..." he explained.

Ladybug sniffled, her hand touching his face as she wished she could mend the cracks in his face that she had inflicted on him earlier.

"Thank you...thank you so much, Adrien-" Ladybug breathed, about ready to help him up so she could follow him to their children.

Adrien held on to her hand, squeezing it tightly before he pulled away

"Alright, I hid them-" Adrien paused, a loud gasp interjected his sentence the moment a silver pole ejected from his chest from behind.

Broken pieces of him began to fall into Ladybug's lap.

The heroine glanced down, her eyes wide in horror before she could piece together what had just happened.

"You've always had to be the one to save the day, don't you Ladybug?" A familiar voice emanated from behind them both.

Adrien fell back, his hands clutched into his chest as he began to fall apart as a whole, little by little.

The blonde curled up, black tar spilling from his mouth almost as if he were bleeding.

Ladybug glanced up, her fists clenching as Felix jammed the pole into the top of the roof.

"Adrien always gets the special treatment, doesn't he?" Felix chuckled, his arms crossing with a menacing smile.

"NO!" Ladybug cried out, her eyes spilling with tears as Adrien's chest caved in.

The heroine hunched over, about ready to reach out to him before Felix gripped on to Adrien's arm, dragging him across the way and towards the ledge before he glanced back at Ladybug with a smug expression.

"Shall we take out the trash? I'll do us both a favor..."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Early update to celebrate the huge stepping stone for the first part of this story.

I can't thank you guys enough for the love and support for this story. Granted there are people that absolutely hate this series, but I'm so thankful to everyone else who've taken the time read it and even reread it.

I love you guys so much!

* * *

It was as if everything was happening way too fast for Marinette to comprehend.

Ladybug widened her eyes, her heart hammering in her chest as the heroine watched Felix drag Adrien towards the ledge of the roof.

Ladybug wasn't prepared for Felix's arrival, and she certainly wasn't prepared to feel the anger that quickly bubbled into her veins.

Her fists clenched, her heart aching in her chest as her patience for Felix had finally ran its course.

She was tired of him constantly infiltrating their lives, his impertinence and his ego.

Since the very first time she had met him, he had been nothing but pushy and disgusting.

Even as Ladybug summoned her lucky charm, she couldn't quite concentrate on what to do with the clue she was supposed to use it for.

All she could think about was Adrien's well being and the removal of Felix.

The blunette glanced down at the pair of socks in her hands with a look of confusion.

She pressed her lips together, clutching on to the clothing with frustration.

With a quick whip of her yoyo, Ladybug took the risk of launching it towards Adrien's leg, quickly snatching the fragile Male right out from Felix's grip.

Ladybug reached out, capturing Adrien in her arms before he could smack against the roof and cause anymore damage to him.

Adrien clamored his hand at the hole in his chest, his eyes glanced up at her, as the black tar that seeped into her suit and burned her skin.

The blunette glanced up at Felix who stood to face her with a look of disdain.

"Ladybug..." Felix muttered. "You're protecting the wrong person. He's the garbage, I'm the civilian."

Ladybug shook her head, her heart racing as adrenaline pumped through her veins.

"If you touch him again, I swear I will kill you..." she hissed through her teeth, her eyes narrowing. "I'm sick of you trying to ruin people's lives...I've heard what you did to him, and frankly, I don't think I'd like to protect someone whose obviously trying to kill his own relatives..."

Felix chuckled, standing up straight to fix the cuff on his sleeve.

"Ah, so Adrien vented about me? Not surprised...the crush he had on you back when we were teens was kind of creepy..."

Ladybug rolled her eyes, her facade remaining firm despite her heart sinking in her chest at the thought of their much younger selves.

"You don't want to fight me..." Ladybug reiterated. "Don't force me to either..."

Felix chuckled, his eyes locked onto Adrien who lay beside her.

Adrien exhaled, the energy draining from his body as he lifted himself up. On shaking feet, the Male attempted to stand, each time a piece of him crumbling to the ground like shards of glass.

Ladybug widened her eyes, immediately turning her attention to Adrien who struggled to stay put.

"N-No..." Ladybug breathed, her hand immediately reaching up to catch the pieces of him that fell. "Adrien- Please don't force yourself-"

"Leave him be." Adrien interjected, the cracks on his face deepening, threatening to fall. "Its not worth it..."

Ladybug struggled remained together herself, tears pooled into her eyes as she reached out to him, wanting to caress his face like she did many times to Chat Noir.

"But...But Adrien-" the blunette protested, her heart aching in her chest the more she realised that Adrien was completely falling apart.

"I'll take you to the children now, while I'm still here and it won't be too late..." Adrien murmured softly, a weary smile on his face as he had every intention to reveal the location of their kids to Ladybug before the ultimate end.

He knew it.

He knew Ladybug knew it as well.

With how he was going, it wasn't long before he would no longer be with them.

But Adrien wanted to see their kids one last time. He wanted to show Louis that he had kept his promise.

He didn't hurt his mother, despite the damage that his cousin did.

Adrien wished he had enjoyed his life more. He was back where he started once more, taking advantage of the throws of life instead of thoroughly living it.

"Let's go, Ladybug..." Adrien breathed, his voice quivering as his hand very softly and casually slipped into her hand, ushering her to move away from Felix.

Felix watched the two, his face twisting in complete disgust.

He wasn't sure what kind of thing was going on between the two of them.

The Male clenched his fists, his heart racing in his chest as Adrien always got everything.

Adrien got the fame.

Adrien got the fortune.

Adrien got the girl.

The recognition, the popularity.

The happy ending with a new family.

It just wasn't fair.

Felix clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth as the more he thought about it, the more he was beginning to lose his composure.

He couldn't say it anymore than he already had said it.

He couldn't stand his cousin.

Felix just wanted him out of his life and perhaps out of this living planet.

His chest heaved, anger boiling into his veins as Ladybug began to snake her arms around Adrien's waist about ready to zip off into the Parisian skyline with Adrien at her side.

But he couldn't let that happen.

There was no way that he could allow Adrien to have his happy ending while he was left alone in the dark.

Felix felt his blood pulsates through his veins rapidly.

It was only a matter of moments before instinct took over. He didn't care what happened to him afterwards, he allowed himself to be controlled by his hatred for his cousin.

Even if it meant that he would be shunned by his family and his peers, even if it meant he would be pummeled by Ladybug, he was going to get rid of Adrien.

Felix grunted, leaping towards Adrien as fast as he could. He bounded against the roof, inching closer and closer to Adrien, attempting to smash whatever what was left with him.

In a blur, Felix widened his eyes, his pupils dilating as he was instead met with the mighty punch of Ladybug's fist.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Short chapter for the holiday. I'm sorry for how flip floppy I've been. The harassment I recieve for being in this fandom is insane and I contemplate leaving it many times.**

**But then again, they dont pay my bills either so I shouldn't pay them attention.**

**Please pray for my mental health. Its deteriorating.**

**Anyway, sorry for any grammatical errors. I'm losing it.**

* * *

"Do you think you went too far?" Adrien asked, sitting on the ledge of the roof as Ladybug stood over Felix.

The blunette glanced down at the Male, his body limp as he was totally knocked out.

She shook her head, her eyes remaining fixated on Felix's bloody nose.

"No...he definitely deserves this..." she muttered under her breath. The reached back and pulled out the pair of socks from behind the wire of her yoyo.

"At least I know what this is for..." she quickly glanced back at Adrien, her heart sinking as the male glanced down towards the street with a grimace.

Ladybug could see the entry point in which Felix thrusted his weapon into his back. If she were to lean down, she could see right through his chest.

The very thought of it almost made her crumble, but she had to keep herself composed.

"I promise. I'm going to fix everything. I'm going to save you..." Ladybug assured, lacing her fingers into Felix's shirt so she could drag him to a satellite pole that sat perched atop the roof. She then pulled one spotted sock away from the pair.

The heroine leaned forward, placing Felix's limp arms around the pole, where she stretched the sock and used it to tie him.

Adrien glanced down, allowing Ladybug to tend to her business of confining his cousin. The blonde knew that if he decided to move, he could break even more so.

He was barely hanging by a thread, parts of him were missing and Adrien knew that it resembled exactly how he felt.

He didn't feel like a human being anymore, he felt like an empty shell, not living life but simply moving through it.

As for right now he only had one goal; to get Ladybug to their children as fast as he could before he completely crumbled.

"Are you ready?" Ladybug asked, approaching him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

She gasped, her heart sinking once more the moment his shoulder crumbled beneath her soft touch. The blunette suddenly began to panic, her hands attempting to grab the pieces before the fell off the ledge.

"No-" she breathed, her heart squeezing in her chest painfully. "No, no, no..."

Adrien glanced up at her, remaining complaining inhibited by the fatal damages that had been done.

"Ladybug..." he whispered, his hand lightly touching hers as he knew she was denying the inevitable.

"Can you tell Louis that I kept my promise?" He asked, his voice lowering into a low whisper.

Ladybug shook her head, the heroine wanting to reach him, but knowing that anything she did would only shatter him even more.

"Don't say that..." she murmured, her eyes glancing down to the distance between where they sat and to the ground. "You can tell Louis that yourself once you've taken me to where they are..."

Adrien carefully laced his arms around Ladybug, using the little strength he had left to bring her closer to him in a taut embrace.

His face remained impassive as his arm completely shattered, and Ladybug whimpered, feeling the pieces of him roll down her back and smash into dust the moment it fell to the ground.

It was a risky move, but it sure as hell was worth it.

Ladybug widened her eyes, immediately glancing down at the debris. It was almost as if she wouldn't accept the fact that Adrien was slowly disintegrating piece by piece.

"I'm sorry..." she replied, her voice dropping low to a whisper as she wrapped her arm around him delicately. The heroine began to thwip her yoyo, launching the both of them into the skyline.

She hopped effortlessly as Adrien held on to her. The blonde simply pointed into a familiar direction to which Ladybug was more than happy to follow.

"Why are you sorry?" Adrien asked, each guest of wind, breaking off a piece of his face.

Ladybug grimaced, her heart sinking deeper into her chest as she knew how cruelly she had used to treat him. Especially in the beginning when Gabriel tried to coerce him into separating away from her and Louis.

"I'm sorry that I didn't take your trauma seriously. I knew that you were hurting over what you had to experience in the past...with what Lila had forced him to see. I always got so frustrated that you kept asking if I were real..." her voice trailed off, her heart aching at the thought.

"I didn't understand how you had felt...so I didn't pay mind to it. I always assured myself that one day you'd get over it..." the blunette paused, landing on a rooftop and glancing at her fiance who was missing half his face.

Ladybug held on to him, knowing full well that her husband was dying.

"I failed you..." she whispered. "I should have listened to you... I should have kept you away from Felix, I should have known and acknowledged your hurt...especially now knowing that I'd be going through the same thing..."

Adrien blinked, black tears forming at the edges of his eyes before it began to roll down his cheeks, leaving a hot pool of steam in its wake.

Ladybug reached over, placing her hand on to the cool surface of his porcelain skin.

"I know that I'm going to die..." Adrien whispered, his eyes shifting back towards where Marinette's used to reside when she lived with her parents, the symbols she designed herself was easily spotted against the dark windows but Ladybug couldn't bring herself to look at it just yet.

"Please don't say it..." she breathed, unable to hear the truth even though she knew they were right.

Adrien remained silence, not moving an inch even as Ladybug brushed her fingers against his skin.

"I can't feel you, Ladybug..." he whispered, his eyes moving back towards her once more. "I...I can't feel you..."

Ladybug sniffled, her tears rolling down her eyes profusely.

"Adrien..."

The blonde reached up, grabbing her hand from his face.

"Do you remember where we used to hug outside the steps before class started?" He smiled weakly.

"Do you remember when we first met? You didn't like me...but I tried my best to talk to you, and you flat out ignored me..." he chuckled.

Ladybug cried softly, her cheeks growing pink as they rolled down her cheeks even more so.

"O-Of course I do...we spent most of our lives at school. Before I had the courage to say anything to you, I'd always look forward to going into class...because I knew that would be when I saw you. I remember you'd sit by me after learning I was pregnant..." her eyes veered off as she recalled the memories they both created while in the classroom.

"We started our lives there..." Adrien replied, his hand placing on to hers before that too completely disintegrated with the soft blows of the wind.

"And it looks like it'll be the last place you see me..."

Ladybug pouted, her heart rapidly pounding in her chest as the wheels turned into her head.

She couldn't fathom the idea of losing Adrien, but at least she had a clue.

"Is...is that where they are...? Are our babies in our old classroom...?" Her voice quivered, her entire soul aching at the idea of her beautiful blonde haired son, taking care of their little dark haired princess.

A piece of Adrien and a piece of Marinette would always remain in that classroom.


	17. Chapter 17

Marinette felt like she was thrown back into the past.

Her heart ached in her chest, and her blue eyes scanned across the clouds in the sky.

She could hear a small rumble of thunder, but all she could solely focus on was the return of her children.

Ladybug glanced back at Adrien, the blonde struggling to remain in one piece, quite literally.

Adrien was falling apart, and despite Marinette's denial she was going to lose him.

Ladybug reached up, her gloved fingertips brushing against the tiles of the old high school roof.

The streets were empty, and Marinette could remember the times she'd sit right on the bench inside with Adrien in between classes.

Half of his face had already fallen off, and all the was left of him was completely shattered.

Marinette couldn't find it in her to look at him and she felt horrible for it.

She knew that she only had a matter of seconds before Adrien would be nothing but a dust of broken glass.

The heroine glanced down, hearing pieces of him falling as she attempted to lower herself down with Adrien by her side, but eventually failing.

She was aware that this task could potentially kill him, but she didn't want to leave him behind either.

From the way the clouds began to roll im, she knew the rain drops would be falling down like bullets.

If she left him behind, he'd die there as well.

It was as if no matter how much she tried to protect him or change his fate, it was not going to change.

Ladybug was in a compromising position. Eventually she was left between choosing her husband and choosing her children.

Granted, she didn't love one more over the other, she swore she loved Adrien more than anything in this world when the two held each other that very first night in the Bourgeois hotel room.

She remembered when he surprised her when he informed her that he knew her identity, on their first date by the Eiffel Tower.

She couldn't forget how he stepped up to the plate and offered to take care of Louis with or without her.

She could feel her heart sink, her chest heaving as she wanted to break down and sob.

"The kids are in our old English class..." Adrien whispered, a weary smile on his lips as he could visibly see Ladybug's distraught at his current condition.

Ladybug exhaled, tears bubbling in her eyes.

"I...I can't take you with me..." she murmured, knowing that her choice between him and the children were obvious. The intuitive since the beginning of becoming a mother was evident, and she knew that Adrien wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"It's okay..." Adrien replied softly, his eyes slowly blinking as Ladybug placed her hand on to his cheek. "I don't want Louis to see me like this anyway..."

Ladybug felt her chest grow tight, each time she touched him, she saw another piece of him fall off little by little.

She felt as if she was abandoning the one she loved, and she didn't want him to feel as though she didn't love him because she did was every mother would do and chose her children over their first love.

"Do you believe I loved you?" Ladybug asked, her heart aching in her chest as she wanted to know for the last time.

Adrien glanced up at her, his eyes only growing dark as he desperately wanted to feel her caress.

He didn't want this to be their final goodbye, but from the tears that bubbled in his eyes, he knew it was coming to an end.

"Of course I believe you loved me..." he whispered, leaning into her hand, forcing the cracks on his porcelain skin to separate. "When I lost you... you always asked me to put the children first..."

Ladybug whimpered, her heart sinking at the thought of him remembering the trauma that Lila had put him through.

"I won't expect you to do anything different." Adrien continued. "I wouldn't want it any other way..."

The blunette blinked away the tears that began to slide down her cheeks. She was going to lose Adrien.

"I promise...I want you to know that I loved you...and I'll always continue to love you..." Ladybug breathed, her chest heaving as sobs began to emanate from between her lips.

Adrien nodded, the black tar tears pooling at the edges of his eyes as they threatened to slide down his porcelain skin and burn her fingers.

"Of course..." he breathed, his eyes lowering to her lips before they flickered back to her eyes.

He knew that one simple kiss would shorten his expectancy, but the least he wanted to do was see her return to their children.

"Just don't forget that I love you either..."

Ladybug bit her lip, her hand carefully sliding off of his cheek as her heart sank into her stomach.

"I'll fix everything..." Ladybug assured, her voice quivering as she spoke. "I promise I'll make everything right..."

The heroine ignored the tears that grew cold on her cheek. She stepped away, glancing back at her love one last time before she grabbed on to her yoyo.

Ladybug sobbed softly throwing her yoyo on to the old banister by the steps. She lowered herself landing on to the leverage.

She could hear the wind howling above her, and Ladybug could only think of Adrien as she approached the wooden door to her classroom.

The heroine pressed her palm against the door, subtly opening it to allow herself inside.

With a racing heart, Ladybug wasn't sure what to expect.

Louis sat by the front board, a small smile on his face as he held his little sister in his arms.

Emma glanced up at Louis with wide green eyes and a small giggle escaped her lips as she held on tightly to her brother.

Ladybug could have fallen to her knees at the sight of her children. It could have been only a couple of hours since she had last seen them, but to go that long without them felt like an eternity and a day.

"L-Louis?" Ladybug whispered, her heart only growing more and more fast.

The toddler paused at the sound of his mother's voice. He held his baby sister closer to his chest as he turned to face the heroine who immediately began to break down in tears at the sight of her babies.

"I-I missed you guys so much!" Ladybug exclaimed, immediately throwing herself towards the children. The heroine wrapped her arms around her son and baby daughter and tugged them tightly to her.

"My brave little man!" Ladybug exclaimed, her lips pressing small kisses to the top of Louis' blonde hair. "You're taking great care of your baby sister?" She asked, scooping the newborn into her arms and holding her close.

Emma squirmed within her arms, the dark haired child whimpering as she couldn't quite recognize her mother straight away.

As far as she was concerned, she had only ever seen her mother in her secret identity.

"I did!" Louis exclaimed with a small smile. The toddler climbed into Ladybug's lap, nuzzling into her side as he was ecstatic to see her.

Louis knew that his father wasn't well, but he also knew that his mother always found a way to fix everything. He was well aware of how powerful she was, and in a way, when he grew up he wanted to be just like his mother and father.

He wanted to be a great hero who not only saved their city, but saved him from the monsters under his bed or filled his tummy when he was hungry.

His parents were his heroes, and if he had the privilege to do the same, he knew he'd be more than happy to.

Louis pulled back slightly, his blue eyes glancing behind Ladybug as she was finally able calm Emma down. The toddler pursed his lips, a grimace on his face as he turned back towards his mother.

"Daddy?" Louis asked, recalling the promise his father made to him that assured that he wouldn't hurt his mother and would eventually return to the both of them.

Ladybug froze, her heart aching in her chest as she knew her son would be looking for Adrien.

Knowing Adrien's condition, she was sure she didn't want Louis to see his father in such a state.

Ladybug couldn't help but to wonder how far Adrien had fallen. She knew he was falling apart, but the thought that he had died while she was in the room, holding their children only broke her heart.

Emma squeaked, her legs flailing.

Ladybug widened her eyes, the sound of her daughter's voice pulling her out of the trance she had slipped under.

The heroine glanced back at her daughter, her brow furrowing as her baby managed to snake the spotted sock out of the wires of her yoyo.

The baby stuffed the sock into her mouth. She held on to the sock with a small hum, suckling on the fabric as she closed her eyes.

Ladybug exhaled, worried that her little one could choke if she continued. She furrowed her brow, picking the spotted sock from between her daughters lips.

Louis, immediately recognizing the pattern of the sock, reached for it. The toddler squeezed the wet sock, chuckling as he offered it back to his mom once more.

"Lucky charm?" The toddler asked, knowing full well what that meant for them and for all of Paris.

* * *

The wind was cold, and Adrien barely noticed the rain as it pounded against his fragile skin.

He struggled to keep his balance. He was much too weak and from the damage and openings in his body, he often found himself staggering towards the edge each time the wind threatened to push him off.

Adrien couldn't help but to reflect on his wife finally reuniting with their children. He wondered if Ladybug told Louis that he had kept his promise.

The blonde sighed, glancing back up at the sky with a weary smile. He hoped his son was as happy as Marinette was.

Adrien knew this was the end for him, and despite his will to continue on, his task was done.

He returned Marinette back to their children as he had promised, and he kept his word to Louis by leaving them all unharmed.

Adrien knew his children would grow up under the loving care of his wife.

After all, Marinette had given and shown him love in unimaginable ways in such a short time. It was definitely more than anything he had ever received at home from his father or Nathalie.

The wind began to howl against him, nearly toppling him off the rooftop.

The blonde lowered his eyes, his shoulders slumping forward as he accepted his fate.

He hoped that Louis would remember him, and if need be, he wished that Emma would somehow get to know of him through stories and memories.

He wanted his family to know how much he loved them, and even though Felix attempted to wedge his way between them, Adrien had a belief that love would still see him through even in death.

Adrien had accepted his fate, he was ready to die so long as his family was safe and happy.

Just like Marinette had in another life, Adrien was willing to put the life and safety of those he loved and cared for over himself.

Adrien stumbled slightly, the wind rushing him towards the ledge.

The blonde screwed his eyes shut as he no longer had the strength to fight against it.

The holes in his body only acted as a catalyst to his eventual fall and Adrien felt pieces of himself falling.

If he had fallen down two stories, he would surely shatter into pieces.

The blonde relaxed, allowing the wind to carry him off the ledge.

Adrien opened his eyes, tears sliding upwards from his cheeks from the gust. He watched as the ground moved towards him at a rapid pace and Adrien expected it to turn black the moment he shattered.

But instead, all he could see were a swarm of small Ladybugs, rushing towards him before eventually wrapping themselves around him


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm sorry for this short and useless chapter. This story is wrapping up soon. Thank you to all who took the time out to read it.**

**This chapter was actually edited, I'm glad!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Ladybug was proud of her little one.

In fact she had hoped Louis would become a role model to her daughter.

She couldn't have asked for a better son.

Ladybug was so invested in having her children back, she didn't even recognize that her earrings were beeping.

Ladybug had a hunch that she was able to save Adrien, but her heart only seemed to sink even more so the moment she realized that Adrien failed to make an appearance at the classroom door.

Ladybug frowned, her eyes glancing over towards the door.

There was no movement.

Emma whimpered in her mother's arms. The baby twisting her head to look for a source of milk. She clenched her fists together, attempting to grip on to Ladybug's skin tight suit.

Louis reached for his sister, his fingertips running through his sisters dark hair.

In a quick flash, Ladybug had detransformed back into Marinette.

Emma gasped at the gust of magic, her green eyes wide as she went silent. The baby blinked, not entirely sure why she saw her mother appear after this stranger had her.

"Marinette?" Tikki asked, her head poking out from Marinette's collar as she landed randomly from her earring.

"Is everything okay?"

"I have such a bad headache-" Plagg interjected, popping his head out of Marinette's small bag. "I have no idea what happened, but I feel like I've been thrown around..."

Marinette frowned, gently sliding the bag off of her shoulder and placing it on the ground. It only had been a few hours since she had seen her kids, but she wasn't sure when was the last time they had eaten. She knew she had to get Emma some of the bottles she pumped at home, but as always, she couldn't get her mind off the worry that Adrien was dead.

It was something she couldn't fathom. She understood the panic and the overwhelming sadness he spoke about when Lila forced him to live without her.

It almost made her sick to her stomach.

"Can you guys watch the children?" Marinette asked, her voice quivering as she was terrified of what she might find on the other side of the door.

Adrien suffered, holding her lifeless body in her arms. He was forced to watch her die. He had lived with the thought for as long as he lived.

Even though everything had been erased, Adrien still suffered.

What made it worse was that he felt he was at fault.

Marinette wouldn't know what to do with herself if she had to go through what Adrien did.

If it were her, she'd be having nightmares, she wouldn't be able to get the image out of her head and she certainly would feel at fault for not listening to him when he tried to explain to her how he was feeling.

She could have prevented him from being akumatised. She could have protected him from Felix, she could have saved him from a lot of things.

"We'd be more than happy to..." Tikki assured, watching as Marinette carefully handed the baby over to Louis.

Louis wrapped his arms around his younger sister, drawing her to his body to keep her close.

Marinette leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her son's head.

"I'll be right back..." she carefully pulled away, her heart squeezing in her chest as she stood up on shaking legs.

With overwhelming reluctance, Marinette excused herself from the classroom, the sound of her daughter's cries fading out the moment the door closed behind her.

Marinette lowered her eyes, her chest feeling heavy at the empty halls. The rain poured through the court below them.

A frown tugged at her lips, and she reached up to rub her blushing cheek.

"Adrien?" She called out softly, her voice echoing throughout the halls loudly. She glanced down the hall, spotting the principal's office. It had felt like such a long time since she had been here in these halls.

This was where her relationship with Adrien started.

She pressed her lips together, her heart aching as she climbed down the steps.

The blunette glanced up at the opening in the roof where she had last seen Adrien.

There was nothing.

Marinette felt tears pooling in her eyes as she feared that it was possible she was too late.

She was going to live her life without one of the reasons who gave her a purpose to.

She didn't want her children to grow up without their father either.

She knew it would kill Louis.

"A-Adrien?" Marinette called out once more, immediately running toward the front doors of their old school.

The young woman stood out on the front steps, tears sliding down her cheeks as the rain poured against her.

Her blue eyes lowered down towards the mass amount of steps that led to the main walkway.

She flinched, hearing the thunder rumble throughout the sky.

She reached up, cupping her hands over her eyes as she was ready to break out into a sob.

She could hear the rain slapping against the pavement beneath her, and Marinette cried, her chest heaving as her fiance was no where to be found.

The rain was like ice, it nearly burned her skin each time each droplet landed on her.

Marinette paused, the feeling of the rain halting. In fact she could hear the pitter patter sounds if the rain landing on something that hovered above her.

The blunette opened her eyes, her heart squeezing in her chest as she could very visibly make out the black umbrella that hovered above her.

Nearly dropping to her knees, Marinette immediately whipped her head back.

Adrien stood behind her, a weary smile on his face as he offered her the umbrella the same way he did those many years ago when they were teens.

"Hey..." he murmured softly, his eyes weary with stress, but simply glad to be alive. "You saved me..."

There was a brief silence between the two of them and Adrien glanced around calmly.

"This looks familiar, doesn't it?" He asked in a soft chuckle.

Marinette widened her eyes, her bottom lip quivering as she immediately threw herself into his arms, causing him to drop the umbrella.

"I was so scared!" She sobbed into his chest, shivering as his arms wrapped around her. "I was so scared I lost you. I didn't know what to do!"

Adrien closed his eyes, the sounds of her sobs breaking his heart.

But he understood her pain. He had been there before. He had sobbed just as she did when he lost her back then.

He pressed soft kisses to the top of her head and he was finally able to feel her again. Her warmth permeated through the fabric of his clothing, and Adrien wanted nothing more than to simply hold her.

"I know..." he whispered. "I'm here now. We have each other..."

Marinette pulled back, resting her chin on to his chest. The blunette reached down, guiding his hand to her freckled damp cheek.

"Can you feel me?" She asked, shivering at the warmth of his soft skin. "You feel so warm..."

Adrien trembled, his thumb caressing over her beautiful freckled cheek.

"I...I can feel you..."


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Unedited there may be some grammatical errors, I apologize.**

**Also, if you are a youngster, like a really really young youngster, please stop reading my stories. I don't feel comfortable with you reading my stories nor do I want you reading my stories. Please find a different genre as these are rated mature for a reason.**

* * *

"I can't believe you still have this..."

Ladybug's voice was soft and warm.

They had returned home from their old empty school, and both Adrien and Marinette were worried about their children getting sick from being out in the rain.

Adrien had just placed Louis into his bed and Ladybug fed Emma and tucked her in.

The day was drawing to a close and even though it had been a hell of a few hours, it almost felt like they had been fighting against one another for days.

Of course she didn't forget about Felix, despite her obvious desire to want to.

She had retrieved his unconscious being from the roof and returned him home to where she knew Adrien used to live before returning back to her own home with Adrien and their children.

Tikki held her promise, and watched the children as Marinette consoled Adrien, but at the end of the day, they all had massive headaches.

The emotion that they all endured had began to leave a heavy mark on them. It was tiring and it was incredibly draining.

Marinette worried that she'd have nightmares for weeks about Adrien's possible death, but she knew that she was grateful to have caught it just in time.

Plagg was more than happy to return to Adrien, and though Marinette gave Adrien quite of a few shoulder punches, Adrien agreed to accept his miraculous back.

Marinette had planned for the two of them to talk out the issues they had before and possibly talk about why Adrien had felt lowly enough to be akumatised in the first place, but the couple figured it would be a deep talk for another day.

Plagg returned to his nightly ritual, sleeping on top of Louis' head and keeping watch for the night, while Tikki had other priorities for the time being before she could join Emma.

The small Kwami was summoned once more for the night by her chosen, and without hesitation, Tikki was always in it to help.

Tikki always had been there to help, since the very first day.

In fact, Marinette received all of her guidance from her small Kwami throughout her first pregnancy.

Ladybug glided her gloved fingers through the soft fabric of the blue scarf Adrien wore, the heroine shivered as it took on a purple foggy appearance of pure agony and darkness.

What was once stitched purely out of love and adoration, suddenly became a beacon of lost hope and suffering.

"Of course I still have it..." Adrien replied, closing the door to Louis' room.

The male glanced at his love, the tired lines beneath his eyes only deepening.

"It was the first birthday present since my mother dissapeared that truly meant something to me..." Adrien murmured, walking by Ladybug's side as the duo returned to their bedroom.

"I mean, it meant a lot to believe that my father gifted it to me, and I genuinely appreciate that you allowed me to relish in that joy for such a long time." Adrien continued, taking a seat on the edge of their colossal bed.

"But I love that I know it was you who gave it to me."

Ladybug glanced up at him, her heart squeezing in her chest at the thought of her secretly sending him gifts for years while they were teenagers.

"I guess I'm glad you found out it was me. Now I can make you a ton similar to this one, and I don't have to feel bad for tearing the others-" Ladybug explained, her fingers knotting into the scarf and ripping it in two.

She watched as the purple butterfly escaped from the cracks. She dropped the scarf, wasting no time in capturing the akuma into her yoyo.

"Do you think I could do this honor?" Adrien asked, eagerly standing up and glancing at the yoyo. "I think it would be a little satisfying."

Ladybug giggled, offering him a subtle nod as she could nearly feel the butterfly fluttering inside of her yoyo, eager to be released.

"By all means." She murmured, gently offering him the yoyo.

Adrien gingerly took the yoyo from her hand and carried it towards their window.

With one hand, he hoisted up the window and pressed on to the top of the yoyo, opening it and setting the butterfly free.

"Bye bye little butterfly." He whispered, his green eyes watching as the insect fluttered away into the night sky.

Ladybug stood beside him, her head resting on his shoulder as the two of them watched the butterfly in awe.

Her hand slipped into his, lightly grabbing the yoyo and attaching it on to her hip.

"I think I'd better let Tikki have the rest of the night off..." Ladybug yawned softly.

Adrien glanced back at the ripped scarf on the ground, knowing that she had already used her lucky charm to save his life and repair most of the damage he had caused, he couldn't really complain about losing the first gift he had ever recieved from Marinette.

It was only because he had recieved so much more from her.

In a pink flash, Tikki was ejected from Marinette's earring and the small creature landed in the palm of Marinette's hand.

Tikki groaned, completely exhausted from having to work twice in one day.

She rolled over, lifting her head to glance at the two of them with a weary smile.

"Did you finally capture his akuma?" She asked, her blue eyes struggling to remain open.

Marinette smiled, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

"Yes and it's mostly thanks to you, Tikki. I can't thank you enough for all that you've done for me and my family." She turned, gently wandering towards the hallway where she knew Tikki would spend the night.

"For those times you've helped me during my pregnancy with Louis..." she whispered, walking into Emma's bedroom. "For the advice you gave me...the love and support I've received from you." She bit her lip, gently placing the small Kwami on the pillow beside her sleeping daughter.

"You've been my best friend."

Tikki glanced up at Marinette, the small Kwami taking her chosen's finger into her hands and nuzzling against it.

"I love you so much, Marinette." Tikki replied, her blue eyes glancing in Marinette's as they watered.

"I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of working with such a smart and unique Ladybug like you."

Marinette blinked away the tears that pooled in her eyes and she ran her finger across Tikki's cheek affectionately.

It was certain that Marinette wasnt ready to give up the role of being Ladybug.

That would mean that she'd never be able to work or speak with Tikki again, she'd lose her memories as if the life she built with the help of Tikki never happened.

This was something Marinette couldn't do.

Tikki was not only her best friend, but Tikki was her family. She couldn't just let her go so easily.

Marinette intended to enjoy all the time she had spent with Tikki as well as her family.

"I love you too, Tikki." Marinette whispered, leaning against the crib slightly. "I don't know where my family would be without you. I've built my family with you and if it weren't for the magic that helps me keep them safe everyday, I don't know where I'd be. You're more than just my Kwami and you're more than just my best friend. You're everything to me, just like my children are. I don't think I could ever love another Kwami the way I love you."

Tikki smiled, nuzzling her head into Marinette's palm to soothe the emotions that became evident on her face.

There was truly a bond that Tikki felt with Marinette that she had not felt with anyone else.

* * *

Plagg yawned, turning over and tangling himself into Louis' gold thick locks.

The small creature froze, hearing small movement behind him before he flinched the moment the flash of light beamed into the room from the hallway.

"Plagg-" Adrien whispered as he entered his son's room, and making sure to be extra quiet to not wake the toddler.

Plagg flattened his ears, his brow furrowing as he turned to face Adrien.

"What is it?" Plagg hissed back, carefully untangling himself from Louis' hair and sitting atop his head.

"You're not going to make me work. You had me working all day, and it wasnt easy finding Marinette. I was starving all day. You hear me?" Plagg whispered, his green eyes narrowing. "Starving. Imagine holding a ring ten times your weight and size on an empty belly."

Adrien frowned, leaning over carefully to pick the small Kwami off of Louis' head.

Plagg groaned, his tiny body swinging side to side as he was held in mid air.

He flailed his tiny limbs in an attempted threatening manner.

"Let go of me." Plagg warned, his body flailing. "I swear I'll cataclysm you. I won't go easy on-" the Kwami paused, his eyes widening as the deliciously pungent odor of aged cheese.

The smell of mature cheese made his belly growl in ways he didn't know was possible.

"I-Is that Camembert Le Châtelain?" Plagg asked, his voice quivering at such a slightly piece of cheese.

Adrien grinned, placing the cheese into Plagg's mouth to silence him, and it didn't seem like Plagg had many complaints about it either.

"I got you a whole barrel, I don't know if I like the idea of you eating cheese in my son's hair, but I thought I'd at least hand deliver it to you." Adrien whispered, placing his Kwami into his palm as Plagg quickly gulped down the cheese.

"I think you made the right choice-" Plagg burped with a small grin. "I mean, it's the least you could do for all I've ever done for you." Plagg teased, crossing his tiny arms and looking away.

Adrien smiled, his digit caressing the top of Plagg's head.

Granted, Plagg was significantly bigger than Tikki, but the gesture remained the same.

"You're exactly right." Adrien sighed, his eyes glancing down at Louis briefly.

Plagg opened his eyes, completely caught off guard at the fact that Adrien even agreed with him.

"W-What?" The Kwami blinked, completely bewildered. "I-I mean of course I'm right!" Plagg huffed, turning his head away.

"I know you remember everything that had happened when I lost Marinette..." Adrien sighed, his voice growing solemn. "I still don't understand why these memories couldn't be erased like everything else."

Plagg opened his eyes once more, a small frown tugging on his lips at the sound of Adrien's voice.

"There were times were I wasn't my best. I understand that I mistreated you and Louis." Adrien glanced down, feeling ashamed of his past actions.

"I know that the trauma of losing Marinette isn't an excuse for the way I acted, but I genuinely appreciated you being there for Louis during the times I failed him." Adrien glanced back at Plagg with a grimace. "The truth is, you're one of my best friends. You see things that not even nino sees.."

The lines under Adrien's eyes only deepened at the thought of those times he pushed Louis away when he only wanted the affection of his father. It was those times that Adrien was grateful that Louis didn't remember.

"I know I can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but I'm glad that you chose to stick it out with me. I thank you for giving me the power to keep my family and friends safe, and I thank you for going to Marinette and letting her know that I was in trouble." Adrien brushed his fingertip across the top of Plagg's head to which Plagg nuzzled into his digit with a small smile.

"You really are a pain in the butt." Plagg chuckled. "But I do have a soft spot for you. You're certainly unlike any of the Chat Noir's I've served. I mean, sure many others can feed me cheese..." Plagg opened his eyes to glance up at Adrien once more.

"But I'm glad it's you who gets to feed me..." Plagg closed his eyes, smelling the air of the cheese that once lingered upon them.

"I do care about you, and I care about Louis as well. I consider you one of my friends too and that should mean a lot. I have a pretty taut relationship with cheese." Plagg explained, his green eyes moving over to Louis who slept in his bed.

"And with that little guy over there."

Adrien smiled, following his gaze to Louis.

"I'm really glad you became part of the family." Adrien murmured, moving over to place the Kwami back on to the pillow beside Louis' head. "I dont think I'll ever feel this close with any other any Kwami."

Adrien pulled back to place a gentle kiss to the top of Louis' head.

"You've been through so much with us and you've grown with me..." Adrien explained to Plagg, his fingers running through Louis' hair.

"You've been here since the very beginning." His green eyes shifted to Plagg who nuzzled into Louis' blonde hair.

"All of this sweet talk is making me sick-" Plagg paused, a small smile on his face. "Unless we're talking about young sweet cheese, then I'd be on board. Young cheese is nice and milky and sweet-"

"Sorry bud, I just have mature cheese." Adrien interjected. "Its just... very crumbly and very very very stinky."

Plagg perked up, his mouth watering at the thought of stuffing his hole with smelly scrumptious putrid mature cheese.

"Hand it over!" Plagg exclaimed, stirring Louis in his sleep without any regret.

Adrien shook his head, his eyes narrowing at the small Kwami, reprimanding his tone of voice in fear of waking up the small toddler.

"You're not eating cheese in my son's hair. I can't have him smelling like putrid cheese." Adrien retorted in a hushed whisper. "So you have to choose between sleep and cheese. The cheese is in the kitchen."

Plagg pouted his bottom lip, glancing between Louis and the door.

How could Adrien make him chose between his two most favourite things?

This simply didn't seem fair.

Plagg hummed, shifting his gaze back and forth between the two of them.

"I can sleep all day tomorrow then-" Plagg replied, the choice being quite obvious before he glanced black at Adrien with a wide grin.

"Take me to the kitchen."


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: WARNING, CHAPTER CONTAINS LOVE SCENE, IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH ANY OF THESE ELEMENTS, PLEASE SKIP ON TO THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.**

**This story will be coming to an end very very shortly.**

**This chapter is unedited and may have some grammatical errors, I apologize for the inconvenience. I suck at writing.**

* * *

"You know you have to talk to him..." Marinette murmured as she leaned into her bedsheets

The pleasant aroma of Adrien's shampoo swarmed around their bedroom that emanated from the steam within their master bathroom.

Marinette felt content. She knew she didn't technically see Adrien die, but she knew something bad had happened to him.

There was a sense of longing deep in the pits of her stomach and she finally understood why Adrien felt the way he did.

Marinette wanted to cherish the time she had with her fiance and her family. She wouldn't take anything for granted anymore.

Adrien placed the bath towel to the side, he ran his hand through his blonde hair and he glanced back at his love who lay in the bed.

"Are you talking about Felix?" Adrien inquired, his lips pursing in thought as he wandered back to their bedroom.

Deciding that he was comfortable the way he was, Adrien climbed into the bed completely naked.

He swathed his arms around his small lady in front of him and lightly tugged her close to his body.

Marinette blushed, feeling his skin against hers even through her nightgown. She leaned more so into him, closing her eyes as their bodies remained taut naturally.

"I wish I could say you're wrong, but it seems like it would be better to tie up loose ends. I don't think I want him wishing bad luck on our wedding day..." Adrien murmured, burying his face into the soft crook of Marinette's neck.

Marinette yawned, stretching against him as she closed her eyes.

"I think that's ideal..." she murmured softly, her body trembling as Adrien reached up to tug a lock of hair away from her neck.

Adrien closed his eyes, his lips pressing against the soft pale space of her neck. He slid his hands down her hips, holding her against him as he helped himself to the soft skin at her shoulder.

Marinette whimpered, her heart racing in her chest as she felt his lips travel back up her shoulders and behind her neck once more.

The blunette parted her lips, her body growing warm at the simple touches.

"Mmmm, I tried on the wedding dress." She breathed, biting her lip as Adrien hooked his fingers into the band of her underwear.

"Oh yeah?" Adrien mused, his lips moving towards her cheek as she turned over to lean into him better.

"I hope you liked it."

Marinette giggled, her hips lifting as Adrien slipped her underwear off her hips, drawing them away from her body and tossing them to the side.

"I do like it!" Marinette piped, a small blush dusting her freckled cheeks as she rolled on to her back. "It fits like a glove."

Adrien hummed, drawing away from her so that he could reposition himself above her.

He glanced down at Marinette as she lay underneath him.

She was truly a beauty, Adrien admired how her chest rose and fell with each breath, he loved the way her dark hair sprawled against the bright pillows beneath her head.

Adrien admired each freckle that decorated her cheeks, he admired the pink undertones of her blush, he admired the blue wide eyes that he swore pierced into his soul.

His heart hammered in his chest as her thick lashes framed her beautiful bright eyes, and for a brief moment Adrien could remember the last time he saw them.

He remembered seeing her falling right from his grasp, he had reached out to her but he couldn't touch her.

While she now lay underneath him with wide eyes filled with excitement, what he saw back then was fear and hurt.

Her blue eyes had glossed over in tears and Adrien knew at that moment it would be the last time he saw her.

This time was not like those times.

She was here with him, he was here with her.

They both had one another in their company, and Adrien knew Marinette wasnt going to let him go just as he wasn't going to let her go.

The things they've experienced together brought them to such a deep and mutual understanding it was unknown to anyone who was ever close to them.

It was possibly something their children couldn't understand.

Marinette fluttered her eyes closed, her heart pounding against her chest the moment she felt his lips on to hers.

His lips were soft, like velvet and she slowly wrapped her arms around him.

Adrien kept his hands at her hips, but slowly slid them down to the back of her thighs so that he could guide them around his waist.

Marinette blushed, her lips moving against his in a sweet and passionate kiss. She tugged him closer, feeling the dampness of his skin from his shower only moments prior. Her fingertips danced along his shoulders, before they slid up the back of his neck and tangled into his blonde thick locks.

Her mouth opened against his, and she breathed in, tasting his mouth on hers.

Their kisses flew naturally. They had spent many years together and knew the ropes, yet somehow it always felt like the first time.

Adrien wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her hips closer to his. His mouth separated from hers and Marinette was able to catch her breath.

She bit her lip, a furrowed brow of pleasure emanating onto her face as Adrien kissed down her neck.

His lips kissed the soft space beneath her collarbone, his lips moved down to the soft mound of her breast.

Marinette gasped, feeling his wet lips open against her soft skin before his lips captured the pink sensitive nub. His lips tightened around her nipple, his tongue gliding across the sensitive nub, it aroused Marinette in ways she never knew was possible.

"A-Adrien-" she breathed softly, her hand gripping into his hair as he released one nipple from his lips.

She breathed softly, her legs growing taut against his hips as Adrien moved his head, capturing the other nipple between his lips.

Adrien shortly released her nipple from between his lips, before he leaned down, running his tongue against her sensitive nub.

Marinette breathed out, opening her eyes as Adrien returned eye level to her. She closed her eyes as Adrien leaned down, his lips attaching to hers once more.

Her arms resumed their position around his neck and Adrien reached down, holding her legs around his hips.

It didn't matter how many times they did this, each time they made love it always felt just as exhilarating at their first. It was a part of their lives that Marinette knew she'd never get tired of.

Of course, Marinette grew more smart in contraceptives, she had two babies to thank for that.

Her grip grew tighter on him, her heart racing as Adrien gently sunk himself inside of her.

His breath quivered, a small whimper escaping his lips as he buried his face into her neck to stifle the sounds of his quiet whimpering.

His arms wrapped themselves around her, holding her closer to his body and Marinette melted into him.

There was something about the way that they fit each other just right, and the warmth they both felt once they were merged into one, that made their bond so much more fulfilling.

Marinette held on to him, her breathing growing rigid as Adrien moved between her thighs. His warm skin radiated into her, and Marinette was well aware of the deep feeling of him inside of her.

Her body moved naturally with his, meeting him thrust for thrust as they both filled a hunger that had become to carnal for them to conceal.

They had time.

They had each other.

They got to savor that time to appreciate and love one another.

Marinette held on to him, her breathing attempting to be calm despite Adrien's failed attempt to remain composed.

He felt warm against her, and Marinette had never felt so comfortable and loved.

"A-Adrien-" Marinette whimpered, her thighs quivering around him as Adrien moved desperately inside of her.

"M-Marinette" Adrien whimpered, his breath grew more and more rigid as he allowed himself to give in to his desires with gusto.

Marinette wrapped tightly around him, inside and out and Adrien had felt himself grow lost in a mountain of pleasure he almost saw white.

Adrien grew stiff against her, his chest heaving against hers, his whimpering growing more and more desperate.

Marinette clung on to him as the two made love, her hands trembling as they gripped on to his shoulders.

Just one thrust

Two thrusts...

Three thrusts...

And Marinette had become completely undone.

Adrien soon followed suit, a broken moan masking hers as he twitched and emptied inside of her.

Marinette trembled, her hands running through his hair as she attempted to catch her breath.

Adrien's hands slid down the length of her body, keeping her still against him.

It felt like an eternity and a day since they finally came back down to earth, but Marinette couldn't be happier.

A small blush dusted her cheeks, a genuine smile spreading across her lips as Adrien remained inside of her, but relaxed against her small frame as he was well spent.

Marinette closed her eyes, her hands running through his hair softly as she held on to him with the utmost of love and caring

She leaned into him, pressing small kisses into his hair as she wanted to remind him how much he meant to her each time she had the chance.

She never wanted him to forget that.

"I love you..." she whispered, her lips pressing against the lobe of his ear affectionately.

"Don't you ever forget that..."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Unedited. Sorry for any grammatical errors.**

"I think you owe me an apology..."

Adrien's voice lingered in the air awkwardly, and it almost left a sour taste in his mouth.

All while growing up with Felix Adrien never had the nerve to stick up for himself, especially with how obdurate his cousin could be.

Adrien always felt so small in his presence, and despite the times Adrien tried to make friends with his cousin, it never turned out in his favour.

It was almost as if Felix never wanted Adrien around in the first place.

Both men sat awkwardly at the dining table, faintly hearing Marinette shuffle around in the kitchen.

Adrien was a little weary of inviting Felix back into their home especially after what had happened, but Marinette had insisted that they'd clear the air before they finally tied the knot.

He couldn't quite remember what Felix had done after he was akumatised, but from what Marinette had briefed him on, it tore at his heart relentlessly to realise that his cousin wanted him to die.

As far back as Adrien remembered since the time they first met, he hadn't recalled ever doing anything to Felix that made him hate so much.

"You want me to apologize? For what?" Felix questioned, crossing his arms taut against his chest as his blue eyes remained completely fixated on Adrien's pained features.

Adrien blinked, his fists clenching against his lap as he couldn't tell if Felix was serious.

"For the mess...for everything." Adrien prompted, lowering his eyes towards the table top.

"For what you said to me, for what you said about Marinette and Luka, for being mean to my kids, for what you said about my mom, for the horrible bullying you've done to me over the years while we were kids..." His voice trailed off, his heart racing in his chest painfully as he hadn't realised that he was going off the rails, saying anything that came to his mind and allowing it to simply roll off his tongue with ease.

Adrien pressed his lips together, trying to find comfort in the scent of the coffee Marinette had started to brew in the kitchen behind them.

He glanced down, his fingers tapping against the table top nervously as Adrien reflected on his entire relationship with his cousin.

"Growing up, you always treated me like shit. I don't recall ever doing anything wrong to you. Since the moment we met, you've made it a point that I was a nuisance, and that you didn't want me around..." Adrien's voice trailed off at the thought of Marinette's explanation that Felix had tried to kill him.

"Y-You never told me what I did to you...that you felt I deserved what you've been doing to me, my wife and my children..."

Adrien tensed, his heart pounding in his chest as the air between the two of them grew stiff and silent. There was an eerie feeling that began to fester between the two of them as Felix glared Adrien down with a firm expression.

Had it not been for Marinette being in the next room, Adrien would have made a run for it.

He exhaled softly as Felix uncrossed his arms. The male placed his hands on the table top, tapping his fingers in syncopation to Adrien's tune.

"You didn't do anything wrong..." Felix explained, his voice trailing off and for a brief moment, Adrien thought he saw something of vulnerability.

"Growing up, I guess you can say I felt a little jealous of you. You had both of your parents when you were younger, you were very popular among our family. I saw you everywhere, plastered on build boards, merchandise and on TV commercials." Felix sighed, reaching up to run his hand through his hair nervously.

"When I heard you started going to school, you easily attained all of these friends. I understand your father was strict with who you went out with and what you did, but you were able to go to birthday parties, you brought friends with you to your events, you even had a fling with Kagami before you met Marinette." Felix averted his eyes towards the kitchen where he knew Marinette was.

"I thought that once you lost your mom, you would understand the pain I felt when I lost my dad. I thought you would change and at least confide to me. I know I didn't treat you well when we first met because I thought you were spoiled and got everything you wanted." Felix glanced back at him, clearing his throat. "You never changed when your mom disappeared. It made me angry, because I wanted you to be bitter and angry and upset like I was when my father died." Felix leaned more so into the chair.

"But you weren't, and I guess that made me even more jealous of your ability to handle things." Felix sighed, his eyes lowering back down to the table top as he was too shameful to look Adrien in his eyes.

"Marinette was the only friend I made. Although I may have exaggerated the way I felt about her when I mentioned that I met her many years ago at her family's bakery. I grew jealous to learn that you were marrying her. I felt jealous that you were able to naturally create a family and be happy, even after everything you had gone through when you lost your mother, you didn't change. I guess I wanted to be like you so bad that I must've taken my anger out on you."

Adrien gawked at Felix, his lips parting as he tried to let his cousin's words sink in. He glanced away, his heart sinking as he was completely unaware that his cousin had been feeling this way.

"When I learned you had children and that you were getting married, especially to Marinette..." Felix explained, his voice trembling as he glanced down to compose himself once more.

"I felt angry, that even in the end you were able to steal my first friend. I remained cooped up in my room by my own depression, I never let myself out to enjoy and experience the world."

Adrien sunk into his seat, his hands folding against one another as he was at loss for words.

The blonde shook his head, a grimace permeating on his features as he kept his gaze down towards his hands, unsure if he could face Felix.

"I didn't know that you and Marinette had met previously." Adrien pressed his lips together, his heart racing at the thought of the dynamic he had with Ladybug. Unbeknownst to Felix, Adrien had met Marinette as Ladybug for the very first time. There was just an attraction and a mutual understanding the he had with Marinette that no one would understand.

"Marinette and I have a connection that runs deep. I guess you can say that I'm irrevocably in love with her. I only met her after my father allowed me to attend high school, and during the times you and I spent time together, you never once mentioned that Marinette was the girl you felt close to when you met her at the bakery. I had no way of knowing that you felt some sort of attachment to her, and with it being such a long time ago, I didn't think it would matter. As far as I was concerned you both never spoke to each other again after that."

Adrien watched Felix as he nodded subtly, acknowledging Adrien's words and allowed him to speak his truth.

"I want you to be at my wedding. This moment is huge for both me and Marinette. I know we didn't have the best relationship growing up, but we're still family, you're still my cousin...you're probably the only close connection I have with my mom. Your mother and my mother were really close, I really wanted that for us." Adrien explained, his voice quivering at the mention of his mother. It only felt like yesterday since the last time he had saw his mother and he missed her terribly.

"But I can't have you being bitter around my children and Marinette. I can't have you making my family uncomfortable because of a hatred you hid from me that I couldn't help." Adrien felt sick at his own words, it wasnt like him to eject his family, but there were some priorities that he had to put in order, and his top ones were Marinette, Louis and Emma.

"Please don't force me to make that choice. I want you as a part of my life. I want my children to look up to you..."

Felix remained silent, his eyes trailing down to his lap as he sunk himself into deep contemplation. He repeated Adrien's words in his head over and over again.

All his life, Felix wanted to feel like he was apart of a family, and now that he had the opportunity to, the moment he was offered it, he felt as if he would somehow ruin it.

He simply couldn't ruin that again. He wasnt sure when he'd have that again. Unbeknownst to Adrien, Felix wanted to be like him. He was the half of him, that Felix wish he could be.

Adrien was outgoing, he was positive, charismatic and most of all, just genuinely kind to people. It didn't matter who they were.

Despite the times Felix pressed his buttons, Adrien grit his teeth and went through with it. It wasnt until the very last moment that Adrien lost his composure.

"I'm sorry..." Felix murmured, his blue eyes moving towards Adrien who looked completely puzzled at Felix's apology.

Adrien knew he had asked for it, but he didn't expect to actually get it.

The words were genuine, and from the many instances he's had with Felix, he could confirm that his cousin actually meant it.

"I understand that I was acting irrational, it still didn't give me the right to bully you for so long. I want to apologize to Marinette for prying her with uncomfortable questions and making her feel uneasy in her own home. I'm sorry for lying to you both so that I can be invited over without your knowledge, and I'm sorry to Louis for making him uncomfortable that day we were setting up tables. I don't know if I like the idea of my young cousin disliking me." Felix murmured, offering Adrien a weary smile.

"If I'm still invited to your wedding, I'd love to accept the invitation..." Felix continued, casually folding his hands and resting them across his chest as he leaned into his seat.

"But I believe when this is over, I plan to leave...far away for quite awhile. There are things that I need to work on, to better myself and resonate with the throws of life so that I can become something better than this. I want to learn to be happy." Felix explained.

"I hope that when I do return, I can be something that I'm proud of and I hope to be someone that Louis and Emma can look up to."

Adrien relaxed, almost sad that his cousin planned to leave for a long time. He wasnt sure when the next time he would see him will be, but at least Adrien would see him as a healthier and better person when he returned.

"The offer regarding the invitation to our wedding is still on the table. As I said before, I want you to be apart of the ceremony. This is a huge moment, and the last thing I want to do is leave you out of it." Adrien offered his cousin a warm smile, his heart feeling warm at the thought of finally reconnecting with his cousin.

"I'm sad you're planning to leave for awhile, but I look forward to seeing you become the best you can be and with that I wish you the best of luck. Just don't forget to keep in touch."

Felix chuckled, reciprocating the smile that Adrien offered him. He knew that what he did to Adrien was unforgivable, especially when he had attempted to end his life the night before on the roof right as Ladybug had knocked him out cold, but Felix hoped that in time that Adrien would somehow forgive him in due time, and Felix hoped he would learn to forgive himself.

"Of course, I look forward to the wedding." Felix murmured, his blue eyes glancing up just as Marinette walked out of the kitchen.

The young woman smiled at both men, her hands gripping on tightly to the mugs she held by the handles. She placed the mugs of hot tea on to the table with meticulous motion as to not create a bad spill.

"Are you both okay?" She mused, her blue eyes bouncing between the both of them with a subtle blush. "Did you guys settle everything?"

Adrien chuckled, his hand sliding across the table and taking hers.

"Everything is okay now, my lady..." he whispered, his hand drawing hers to his lips where he pressed a gentle kiss to her soft skin.

Marinette bit her lip, watching as Felix offered her a warm smile and reached for one of the mugs that she had placed on the table top for them.

She glanced back at Adrien, her heart squeezing in her chest as Adrien held her hand and whispered to her.

Her hand lightly squeezed around his, assuring him that she had heard the cute nickname he had given her when they had patrolled their city as their alter egos.

"I'm proud of you..." she whispered back, her thumb gliding against his digits.

"So so proud..."

Marinette knew, that it was times like these that she'd never take for granted again.


	22. Important Author's notes

Hey guys, I apologize that this isn't a chapter but I've been getting messages asking about the updates on this story. I put on an author's note before that any delays of this story would be announced on my wattpad account "KandyKate" but I can understand that not everyone can make it to that site.

This story is on a short hiatus because the next update will be the end of this series and I want to make it as long as possible and I want it to be fulfilling. If I add an epilogue to this story then it means this series is officially done. It's certainly a bitter sweet feeling because I almost grew up with these characters. This series had been going on for 6 years and I want to do them justice by finishing up the chapter right

I want to take my time with this and make sure that the ending to this will close any possibilities as well as satisfy the readers with a great ending.


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N: Please don't fret!**

**This isn't the last chapter. I know I said that the next update would be the last chapter, but as I garnered through and assessed all of the chapters as a book in itself, I realised that there was no actual quality family time or characteristics regarding their baby Emma, especially with all of them as a family and I had to change that.**

**It wouldn't feel right to end the story without any quality family time with Emma.**

**I hope you guys enjoy and I hope your forgive me!**

**Please enjoy the useless family fluff! I'm sorry for making you guys wait so long**

**Thanks!**

* * *

Marinette glanced at herself in the mirror.

She was quite glad that Felix and Adrien had managed to mend things.

She was also quite grateful that he didn't remember what Ladybug had done to him during their escapades.

The last thing she wanted was for Felix to somehow come up with a convoluted plan to take down Ladybug because he decided to be spiteful abele for socking him in the face.

Marinette had also made sure to be careful while being ladybug, especially around Adrien and Felix, as far as she was concerned Felix didn't suspect a thing.

She had to admit that she was still a little bit nervous to have Felix over to be a part of their wedding. Part of her worried that there is still a bit of doubt inside Felix, but there is still a bit of vendetta that he wanted to get out.

But Adrien trusted him, Adrien had a good sense of judgment as far as Felix went. She would only have to trust in Adrien's sense of judgment.

He was still considered family after all.

Marinette would only have to put her trust into her new family.

She had set an alarm for early the next morning. She was expected to be at her mother's and father's house bright and early to meet Alya so that they could all prepare for the wedding ceremony the next morning.

It has felt like forever since Adrien proposed and Marinette felt incredibly antsy.

She just wanted to marry him already!

Marinette placed her toothbrush under the running water before she quickly rinsed her mouth and she set it aside.

She washed off her face and then patted it dry with a soft towel before she shut off the light and wandered back out into the hallway.

She bit her lip, listening to Louis hum from the other side of the wall.

The sound was a lot closer than she had anticipated and Marinette couldn't help but wonder where Louis wandered off to.

He was growing to be a big boy right before her eyes, and despite having a new little one to care for, Marinette couldn't help but feel a little sad that her little one was growing so fast

It was only a matter of time before he stopped asking her to read him bedtime stories, or make him chocolate milk, or to give him kisses, or even sleeping in her bed.

Marinette truly cherished those moments the most.

Being a mother, especially at her young age was challenging, but she wanted to enjoy her children as best as she could.

Because one day, they won't be around anymore, and that thought shattered her to pieces.

It was true that she had Adrien, but it was also true that the love she had for her children was unlike any other love she had ever experienced.

Marinette poked her head into their bedroom, a small smile nudging on to her face as Louis lay on the spot beside Adrien.

Plagg curled into Louis' thick locks, his eyes closed as he tried to ignore the commotion and sleep as best as he could.

Adrien was propped up on the headboard of his bed, and Emma lay on her belly across his chest.

The infant stretched a small smile on her lips as her wide green eyes glanced down at her older brother with excitement.

Louis giggled, attempting to hide behind his father's arm.

Emma screeched playfully, reaching over for her brother with excitement.

Tikki rested on the back of the infant's neck, moving over to nuzzle against her cheek affectionately.

Adrien chuckled, pressing small kisses to the top of Emma's head as he held the rabbit book up for Louis to see.

"See? Who is that? Do you recognize that rabbit?" Adrien asked, motioning the book towards Louis so that he could see

Louis grinned, his tiny teeth baring from between his lips at the photo of his favorite mother rabbit.

"Mommy babbit!" Louis exclaimed. "That's mommy babbit!"

Adrien reached up, placing one of his hands behind his head so that he could run his hand through his hair. He lifted one leg up nonchalantly, as he placed his foot on to the bed.

"Yes! That's the mommy rabbit." Adrien chuckled, moving it over towards Louis so that he could turn the page on the book.

Marinette giggled, watching Adrien struggle to read the bedtime stories while their children piled on top of him.

"You look incredibly attractive." Marinette teased, as she shyly stepped into the room. "I mean it. You look like a literal dad."

Adrien chuckled, his arm tugging Louis closer to leave some room for Marinette beside him.

"Thanks, I think that was the best compliment I've ever received in my life." The blonde deadpanned. "I wonder if my father was this way when I was a youngster."

Marinette pressed her lips together, subtly blushing as she climbed into the bed beside him.

"I bet he was. I mean who wouldn't want to cuddle and love the cutest, softest baby in the world." Marinette murmured, reaching over to lightly take baby Emma off her chest.

Adrien snorted, moving over to his side so that he could rest his chin on the top of Louis' head.

"Me? You thought I was the softest baby in the world?" Adrien mused, his curiosity definitely peaking.

Marinette nuzzled into her daughter, the infant's dark hair tickling her nose as she did so.

"Well, I thought you were, but then Louis and Emma were born and now I think they're the cutest softest babies."

Emma smiled, her hands flailing with excitement as Marinette lifted her up into her lap and pressed small kisses to her fluffy cheeks.

"I think my babies are the best." Marinette giggled, guiding the baby closer to her chest so that she could hug Emma.

Adrien pouted, his fingers lightly playing with the tips of Louis' blonde hair.

"Hey, but I gave you those babies." He whined, his arms wrapping around Louis who squealed with excitement.

"You even said so yourself, I did all the work on Louis. He looks just like me."

Marinette smiled, bouncing Emma on her lap lightly. The young woman giggled, her heart fluttering in her chest as Emma flailed her legs within her footsie pajamas.

The baby glanced at her mother with a toothless smile and Adrien couldn't help but to laugh alongside of her.

"Emma looks just like me." Marinette piped with pride. "I guess that means I did all your work for this little one."

Adrien chuckled, his eyes closing as he loosened his grip on Louis who rolled over towards his mother.

Louis glanced up at his little sister, completely ignoring Plagg who tumbled around in his hair.

The small toddler closed his eyes, yawning as the day was long and finally drawing to a close.

Marinette rested baby Emma on her shoulder, allowing the infant's cheek to rest against her.

Louis briefly opened his eyes, reaching out to gently take his baby sister's hand into his.

Both Marinette and Adrien looked down at their children as they had stayed close to one another.

Adrien lightly reached for the book, maneuvering over so that he could place it on the bedside table with a warm smile.

"I'd like to think that if we had siblings growing up, we'd be this close to them," Marinette whispered, leaning into her pillows as her daughter began to fall asleep. "We are doing a hell of a job."

Adrien reached for the lamp, turning off the light before he tugged the blankets up their bodies in a warm swift movement.

"I know. I'm a bit jealous of them. I've always wanted a sibling, but my father got too old." Adrien yawned, burying his face into the pillows. "I'm proud of our kids though."

Marinette hummed, adjusting herself into the bed so that she was more comfortable.

"I'm proud of us as parents. We really did better than I initially thought." She chuckled, closing her eyes.

Adrien smiled, his eyes remaining closed as his hands rummaged through the bed to find hers.

Marinette bit her lip, feeling his hand slide into hers, and she immediately held on tightly.

She seriously couldn't be any happier.


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N: Still not the last chapter simply because I'm a horrible author and a terrible filthy liar.**

**Enjoy!**

**Sorry for any grammatical errors.**

* * *

It was indeed the ungodly hours of the morning.

Marinette barely had any sleep. She knew her wedding day was only nearing close and despite her being so happy that it was finally happening, she couldn't shake the nervousness of wanting the day to go according to plan.

She thought about fixating herself on coffee and perhaps some caffeinated tea until the ceremony was over and even then she couldn't promise herself sleep afterwards.

Marinette often reflected on her relationship with Adrien. She couldn't help but to pinpoint every sticky situation that life put them through. It started with her unplanned pregnancy with Louis and the issues they suffered from there.

There was an issue with her lack of communication where she allowed Nathan to worm his way between them, which she knew was entirely her fault, then there was Lila who couldn't let go of Adrien, which ultimately led to the death she couldn't remember and Adrien suffered through and then there was Felix, who had a vendetta against Adrien for being who he was and ultimately killed him which Marinette couldn't forget.

She wondered if they could ever raise their children normally. Marinette knew Adrien had trouble sleeping, and in fact she'd often wake up in the middle of the night to find that he was wandering around the house or simply laying down until the sun came up.

So when Marinette woke up to find that Adrien wasn't in bed, she wasn't the least surprised.

But once he ushered her to get out of bed and leave their children behind so that he could show her something that was meant to be a wedding present, she was a little more than reluctant.

Marinette yawned, holding a cup of coffee in her hand. She sunk more so into the passenger seat of the car. The sun had barely made its peak but Marinette was more than ready to go.

It was actually quite nice that they got to drive on their own this time around. It was a nice gesture that Adrien's bodyguard drove them when they needed it, but there was a pleasurable sense of freedom and privacy whenever Adrien got to drive.

She hadn't the slightest idea where Adrien was taking her, but she couldn't keep her mind off the children they left sleeping at home.

"We're bad parents..." Marinette sighed, bringing the paper cup to her lips to take a languid sip. "We left our babies alone."

Adrien chuckled, slowly turning a corner. His green eyes remained fixated on the dark road ahead of them. A smirk tugged at his lips the moment Marinette spoke.

"We didn't leave them alone." Adrien refuted respectfully. "We left them with Plagg and Tikki. They're in good hands."

"We left them with two very small creatures who aren't from anything this earth created. For all we know, they could be toys." Marinette whined, sinking into her seat with a grimace. "We basically left them alone to sleep."

Adrien shook his head, leaving one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand moving over to find hers in the dark beside him.

"They may be small creatures, but they are wiser than the both of us combined. I'd say they have the experience, its especially because they've been watching over hundreds of heroes and watched them grow over the years of being the sole source of energy. They helped keep Paris safe over the years. I'm sure they can watch the children while we are out. Plus, they're magic. I think theyll be safe." Adrien explained, allowing the soft music to envelop them completely.

Marinette sighed, unable to help herself. She continued to reflect back to the trauma they both endured by losing each other. It was a given that she learned to appreciate him better and she knew he never took the time he spent with their family for granted, but she often wondered if it would somehow affect the way they parented their children.

It left her second guessing her role as Ladybug.

Especially if that meant that their children would grow without parents, or even worse; that they'd be raised by parents who were too traumatized to raise them the way they deserved.

Marinette glanced down, pressing her lips together as she fumbled with the warm cup of coffee between her palms.

"Do you think that we should retire from our roles outside of being parents?" Marinette questioned, immediately feeling guilty for even bringing up the subject. She knew she was entrusted with a duty to protect Paris, and she loved protecting her city, but there were things in her life that were far more important to protect and that had been the two little ones she left at home to sleep with their Kwamis.

Adrien furrowed his brow, quickly glancing back between the road and Marinette who seemed anxious beside him.

"You mean, our roles as the bug and cat team?" Adrien mused, his brow perking as he could just barely see the sun on the other side. "Absolutely not. Being Chat Noir was a huge turning point in my life." He explained softly, slowing down on a road to make a turn.

Marinette frowned, glancing down at the cup between her palms.

"I mean, it goes without saying that it changed my life too." She elucidated, keeping her eyes off of him as they passed her parents' bakery. "But I often wonder if it's too traumatic. We've both seen things happen to each of us that's pretty fucked up. You have nightmares and sometimes I catch myself thinking about you falling apart. We throw ourselves into danger protecting one another that I feel like we dont think about the consequences. I don't want us too mentally fucked up to raise or properly love our children." Marinette glanced up at him, a solemn expression on her face. "Or worse, that there will be a point where we can't save each other and our children grow up without us."

Adrien switched the gear, stilling the car in park, the moment he pulled over towards the curb of an unfamiliar neighborhood.

"I understand the concerns you have, especially now that you're a mother. A few years before it may have been different and I admit that I often find myself jumping in the line of fire to keep you safe, but that's only because I know your worth and your strength. I can't understand why you doubt yourself, but I never doubt you for a second. You always find a way to fix things and it always works out in the end. The times I enjoy are with you and our children and if it weren't for me being chose to fit this role, I would have had the courage to leave my home and go to school..."

Marinette felt her heart sinking into her chest as she recalled their first awkward encounter.

"I would have never met you. I would have never met Ladybug, and we wouldn't have our children. Our alter egos brought us where we are today." Adrien whispered, his hand moving towards hers.

Marinette blushed, her lips pressing together as Adrien laced his fingers into hers.

She had felt guilty. Perhaps he was right. She couldn't imagine what her life would be had she not been chosen to be Ladybug. In fact, it was nearly impossible to imagine her life without Adrien or her children.

"They don't chose just anyone for this job." Adrien murmured, bringing her hand up towards his lips to press a gentle kiss to the back of it. "I'm sure we wouldn't be where we are if we weren't able to handle and rectify these situations. Plus, we'd lose Tikki and Plagg. They've become part of our family."

Marinette placed her coffee cup into the cup holder with a grimace.

He was right.

He was absolutely right. There had been some bumps and bruises along the way, but she had been absolutely with her life. She was with the love of her life, she had two beautiful children with him, whom she loved with every fiber of her being. She was eternally grateful for Tikki all throughout her adolescence and her young adult life. She was the voice of reason, and despite giving Marinette her powers to save France, Tikki was one of her closest friends.

Marinette was never alone when it came to Tikki and she remembered how much of a help she had become when she was pregnant and afraid for the very first time.

She couldn't imagine losing Tikki. It broke her heart.

"I think you're right." Marinette breathed, her heart thumping wildly inside of her chest. "I guess I didn't think about all of the other things. I tend to overthink things and let my insecurities get the best of me."

Marinette shivered, recalling the memory of Chat's hand on her shoulder the very first time she doubted herself as the right fit for Ladybug.

"It's alright, my lady." Adrien murmured, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. "I understand. I know we are a team and I get that it feels like a huge weight on your shoulders, but I'm here to share some of it. Plus, I think I kinda enjoy our son looking at us as real heroes, in and out of parenting. He looks up to us."

Marinette chuckled, biting her lip as she could tell that Adrien felt privileged to be someone that his first son looked up to him. She wouldn't ask him to give up that right.

She glanced around, her brow perking as it dawned on her that the car had stopped moving. She had no idea where she was and what Adrien had in mind, but she hoped it wasnt too jarring or time consuming. Their wedding was in a couple of hours.

"S-so what was so important that you had to drag me here at four in the morning?" She asked, quickly glancing back at him.

Adrien smiled, his hand growing tighter around hers as he shifted in his seat to face her better.

"You see, when I was younger and up until my mother disappeared, all she could talk about was opening up a small boutique shop in this neighborhood. She thought it was the perfect location because there's a shoe store next door and down the street is the bakery that your parents own. My father was often busy with his own endeavours, but my mother was always hungry to start her own." Adrien paused, glancing down at their hands as Marinette watched him inquisitively.

"Then...meeting you, I knew that you were going the same route. You have experience by working the show under Audrey Bourgeois and you have quite a bit of your designs featured in some of my father's project which I was honored to model for."

Marinette pressed her lips together, her heart racing within her chest as she had a hunch as to where he was going with this.

"So, I thought that maybe if I'd pull a few strings..." Adrien continued, his eyes moving over towards the space behind her head. "And maybe help you start your very own. I know I retired modeling from my dad, but I thought it would be fun to start modeling for you instead."

Marinette widened her eyes, a loud gasp emitting from her chest as she nearly toppled over in her seat.

"What?! No way- you didn't!" She stuttered, her hands squeezing around his tightly.

"Oh my God, Adrien-"

Adrien gently released her hands, digging into his pockets awkwardly as he phished out a set of keys. He reached over, shutting off the engine of the car before glancing back at her with a wide smile.

"You want to check it out?" He asked, opening the door beside him. Adrien had every intention on walking over to the other side and opening the door for her, but unfortunately for him, Marinette had nearly toppled out of the car in a rush.

Marinette slammed the door behind her, her heart racing as her blue eyes took in the appearance of the small pink shop at the corner. She could almost picture where she wanted everything to go.

"Oh my God Adrien! I can't believe you actually bought me a boutique shop! I don't even know what to say!" She exclaimed, the young woman standing in the middle of the street with her slippers.

Adrien grinned, moving beside her before he placed his arms across her shoulder. He leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek before subtly pulling away.

"Do you want to go inside? Just to see what it looks like? I thought maybe after our honeymoon we could come back and start cleaning it up and setting things around how you'd like. I know you love to decorate." Adrien asked in a sweet murmur the Male continuing to press kisses to her cheeks.

Marinette bounced on her toes, barely hanging on to Adrien as he offered to let her inside.

While on her usual birthdays she'd recieved books, sweets and cards she would have never imagined she'd ever recieve something this big.

It went without saying that since she met Tikki and Adrien she had never been so spoiled in her entire life. Granted, she lived a good life at home with her parents but this was entirely different. Tikki often gifted her with magic charms for her birthday but all her gifts meant something huge to her.

She bit her lip, her heart racing as Adrien barely had the door open before Marinette pushed him aside and squeezed into the tiny space beside him.

Marinette was totally enamoured by the light fixtures, she loved the glass counters the marble glossy floors, the pale pink walls and the wide windows up front.

It was all happening so fast, yet Marinette could already see it coming together.

A family owned business where she could design her own clothes, stitch them and put them out for the locals to enjoy. She'd be able to work with her husband and hopefully with hard work and dedication she would be able to start her own chain of clothing brands.

She couldn't have asked for a better start.

Marinette grinned, her heart refusing to slow down inside of her chest. She gently ran her fingers across the smooth tops and she glanced back at him.

"Adrien, I don't know what to say. Thank you so much." She breathed. "Words can't even begin to describe how happy and thankful I am."

Adrien kept his eyes on her with a warm smile, he kept his hands in his pockets, allowing his wife to be, to have a look at her new business area.

"You had to show me this before our wedding?" Marinette asked, giggling softly as she approached him and softly wrapped her arms around him. "I'm going to be antsy during the entire ceremony and honeymoon."

Adrien snorted, snaking his arm around her waist and tugging her closer. He leaned forward, kissing her lips softly.

"I thought I'd give you something to look forward to after the wedding. That's saying that you've agreed to wake up to my ugly face for the rest of your life."

Marinette chuckled, a soft hum emanating from her throat as she kissed his lips in return.

"Mmm. You say that like it's a bad thing." She whimpered, her hand reaching up to cup his face.

Adrien laughed softly, kissing her once more.

"I mean...it could be. You know how stubborn I am. Ladybug must have wanted to slap Chat Noir every now and again."

Marinette giggled, subtly pulling away and patting her pyjama pants for her phone.

"I love Chat Noir. It seems like he's become quite legit too~" she teased, her voice trailing off as she came up empty.

"Ugh. I forgot my phone in my car. I need take pics for Alya, she'd never believe what just happened!"

Adrien released her, his green eyes lifting up towards the light fixtures on the ceiling.

"You go do that. I'm going to mess around with the lights. I wonder if they look fancier with the lights on. This place has been collecting dust, so the panes may need to be cleaned up a bit. You're free to take as many photos as you want."

Marinette squealed excitedly. She kissed his cheek one last time before she left him behind to clean the lights. She exited the front door, the warm breeze blowing through her dark hair.

She carefully crossed the street, her eyes lifting towards their car parked on the other side when she spotted an older woman standing on the other side of the narrow street.

The woman squinted, her brown eyes fixated on the windows on the upper floors of the shop Marinette was soon to own.

She remained still like a statue, her eyes soon widening. It was almost as if she saw a ghost.

Marinette paused, her hand curling around the door handle as she was almost deciding against asking why this strange woman was simply standing there, watching through the windows.

"Excuse me?" Marinette asked timidly, releasing the door handle and drawing the attention of the older woman immediately. "Is there an issue?"

The woman blinked, a small blush caressing down her cheeks before she averted her gaze to Marinette who stood awkwardly by their car.

"N-No. It's just strange. This building has been empty for years. It's a strange change of pace to see it actually lived in." The woman spoke, offering Marinette a small smile.

"I own the shoe shop next door..." she explained. "In all the years I've ran my store I've always heard rumors about the woman in the window."

Marinette furrowed her brow, her heart squeezing in her chest as confusion swept over her.

"The woman in the window?" Marinette mused, her eyes flickering back to the dusty windows of her shop.

The woman nodded.

"Yeah, many of the neighborhood citizens claimed to have seen a woman sitting in the window. They say that she once ran a jewelry store before she passed away suddenly from an unknown illness. So, still unable to cross on to the other side, she remains in this building in hopes to continue her dreams of selling and designing jewelry. " she explained, her eyes moving back towards the window. "I never thought I'd actually see it myself."

Marinette blinked, feeling completely dumbfounded and unsure of how to feel about what she had just heard.

"Oh..." she breathed, her blue eyes remaining on the ground, even as the woman moved away.

She sighed, feeling completely defeated.

Not only was she going to have to worry about her biggest fashion competitors both Gabriel and Audrey, now she had the possiblity of opening a business in a haunted shop with neighborhood notoriety.


	25. Final Chapter

**A/N: and here we are...to the last chapter. Thank you guys so much for tje journey of this series. I had so much fun with it and I'm sorry I stretched it out longer than I had to. I suppose it was because I was so attached to these versions of the characters and had many ideas, I couldn't let them go.**

**But for now, the Marinette's baby series is officially over.**

**I love you guys so much and I hope you give my other books a chance as I enjoy writing them very much so!**

**Have a great year everyone!**

* * *

Adrien inhaled.

His green eyes could pinpoint each painted paper angel that hung low from the ceiling. The air was warm inside the venue, and he could hear soft music playing from behind him. It was almost as if everything was white. Adrien was sure that he had died and went to heaven.

Everything he was witnessing, he had waited his whole life for. Never in a million years after his mother disappeared did Adrien ever believe that he'd experience this sort of happiness.

The guests were whispering among themselves and Adrien only grew more and more nervous. He pressed his lips together, adjusting the tie on his neck before nervously moving to his cuffs as he awaited for his bride to meet him.

"You nervous?" Nino asked, standing behind Adrien with his hands clasped together in front of him. His brown eyes moved from the aisle back down towards Adrien who looked as though he wanted to pace back and forth.

"I'd like to say that I'm not, but I'm anxious. I know she'll be walking down to me, but I feel like I just want my bride right away." Adrien replied, his heart squeezing in his chest as he recalled meeting his bride as Ladybug.

Adrien couldn't help but to reflect fondly on the memories he had with his lady. Of course she had rejected him quite a few times during their riveting battles, but he had spent so much time chasing her. It was obvious that something was growing between them, and even though Louis was unexpected, Adrien couldn't help but to be immensely grateful to the little one.

Louis' life brought not only Ladybug back into his life, but it brought Marinette in as well. He was able to raise a child with both his love and his friend. Marinette being Ladybug was simply the icing on the cake. If anyone were to be an awesome Ladybug it was sure to be Marinette.

Of course it had some downsides. Being heroes put them in danger on a daily basis. Both he and Marinette experienced the death of each other, and despite it having an everlasting effect on them as people and as parents, they knew never to take advantage of anything between them ever again.

They were both incredibly grateful that they had each other, their family, and the time they were able to spend together.

Neither Adrien nor Marinette would trade that for anything in the world.

"You'll be fine, buddy." Nino whispered, shifting behind Adrien awkwardly as it almost appeared that he was nervous too.

Adrien smiled, his green eyes briefly moving over towards Felix who took his seat in the back of the aisle.

The male sat beside Gabriel, his blue eyes glancing around the full room before eventually settling on Adrien who rather impatiently awaited Marinette's father to finally give her away to him.

Adrien offered his father and his cousin a weak smile, his heart thumping away into oblivion as Felix offered him a smile in return.

Despite his cousin leaving a sour taste in his mouth during his childhood and during his brief stay for his nuptials, Adrien was thrilled that they could get on better terms.

Sabine sat at the front, her eyes remaining on Nino and Adrien as well as Alya who waited on the other side. Adrien could tell by the very look on Sabine's face that she was struggling to keep herself together.

In her arms, Sabine held her granddaughter. Baby Emma wore her pretty pink ruffled dress that her mother had sewn herself. Her green eyes glanced up at her father with a wide smile.

The young baby kicked her legs, squeezing her small fists together as she always grew excited when she was with her grandmother and her father all at the same time.

Alya held onto Louis' hand who also awaited his mother's arrival. The little toddler was growing a little antsy. He was told to stay still and wait for his mother to keep the ceremony in order, but as time went on, it was becoming impossible to do.

There was so much space to run around. There was so much food to eat! There was cake! His sister seemed just excited as he was, and Louis saw his grandpa Gabriel. All he wanted to do was run up to his family members and spend time with them.

It seemed like a rare occurrence that he ever got to see his beloved family members all at once, and on the rare chance that he did, he wanted to run around in circles.

But he couldn't.

Partly because his auntie Alya had his hand, and because he made a promise to both his mom and his dad that he'd behave. He knew how much this day meant to them, and the toddler made it a priority to hold out for as much as he could.

Adrien shifted, his eyes fixated on the doors down the aisle. He was sure he could feel his heart beat nearly out of his chest the moment the crowd stood up.

A small smile graced his lips as he finally got to see what he had always dreamed of seeing since the first day he met her as Ladybug.

Marinette stepped onto the aisle, her father at her side as she glanced up shyly at Adrien who waited for her on the far end.

The room was full, but it felt as if they were the only two people in the world.

Marinette smiled at him, a small blush brewing on to her cheeks as she moved closer and closer to him.

The both of them could hear the small gasps and whimpers by their family members around them, especially Marinette's parents.

They had both been through hell and back for this day, and neither of them could be any happier than they were at this very moment.

Adrien held his hand out, his heart racing as Marinette carefully placed her hand into his. His fingers delicately laced into hers and he very carefully tugged her up towards him.

Marinette gazed into his eyes, briefly seeing Chat Noir who stood in front of her.

Adrien smiled down at her, his cheeks growing warm as he could briefly see Ladybug in front of him.

He gently brought her hand up to his lips where he placed a gentle kiss to her skin.

"The bug and cat team..." he murmured against her skin before he glanced at her once more.

Marinette smiled, the shy woman peering up at him as the guests took their seats to witness the ceremony.

"Forever and ever..."

* * *

Tikki sat atop a light post, watching as Marinette and Adrien both said their vows. A small smile graced the smaller kwami's lips as she enjoyed happy endings.

"This is much too sappy. It almost makes me want to vomit." Plagg sharply spoke. "When do we finally get to eat cake?!"

Tikki sighed, rolling her eyes with a warm smile.

"Do you only think with your stomach, Plagg? Our owners have reached a huge stepping stone. Now we have two babies to look after." The kwami explained, her blue eyes wandering over towards Louis who stood anxiously beside Alya and baby Emma who slept in Sabine's arms. "We've come a long way..."

Plagg simply nodded, his green eyes moving across the crowd who watched the ceremony.

"They really did grow. We've all been through so much together I didn't realise how much time has passed." Plagg replied, recalling the painful endeavours Adrien endured to get to where they were. "And that means a lot. Since we've both lived for thousands of years."

Tikki nodded, glancing over to Plagg.

"It seems as though we both have been through a lot as well. It was an interesting adventure, and even though you are a pain...I'm glad that you were in it with me."

Plagg turned his head, grinning at Tikki with a small laugh.

"Oh? Are you saying you're in love with me, sugar cube?" Plagg teased, his green eyes winking at the smaller kwami who turned away with disgust.

Plagg laughed off her notion, turning to watch as Adrien kissed his bride. He truly was happy for the both of them.

Adrien, Marinette, Louis and Emma had become incredibly important to both Plagg and Tikki. That much was evident.

Despite Plagg's attempt to remain obtuse to the idea, he couldn't hide that fact anymore. He truly did love his family, and he loved Tikki.

Both kwamis smiled as the crowd cheered for both the bride and groom.

Plagg leaned into Tikki, a small hum emanating from his tiny throat as Marinette and Adrien held hands and both ran down the aisle towards the reception hall.

"I'm glad I was in this with you as well, Tikki..."

* * *

"I'm so happy for you guys." Alya murmured, her hand holding on tightly to Marinette's as the bride and groom sat beside their best friends. "It's been hell to get to where we are, but I'm so glad that you finally got to walk down that aisle."

Marinette blushed deeply. She had only said her vows moments before and it still hadn't dawned on her that she was officially Adrien's wife. She was indeed the mother of his children, and she was more than happy to take that role, but it felt like a proud moment to finally share the last names as her children.

"Y-Yeah... it still feels like a dream." Marinette murmured, her blush deepening as she watched her guests converse and dance on the banquet floor. "I have only dreamed about this day since I was a teen."

Alya snorted, slowly wrapping her arms around Marinette with a warm smile. She kissed her cheek lightly, leaning into her friend but being careful so that she wouldn't ruin her hair, makeup, or dress.

"Don't I know it." She chuckled softly. "I've been there nearly every step of the way. From the moment you couldn't ask him to see a movie, to the moment you told me you were pregnant with his child." Alya pressed her lips together. "And to the moment you confessed to me that you were Ladybug and Adrien was Chat Noir..." she explained, her voice dropping lower than a whisper.

Marinette closed her eyes, relaxing into her friend as she recalled the journey they had been through to finally get to where they were.

They had encountered many obstacles, and Marinette was sure she would encounter many more throughout her life, but this was a huge stepping stone.

Marinette reached over, placing her hand on top of Alya's.

"We've been through a lot together. I'm so glad I was able to have you as a friend. The support you've given me over the years has been incredible and I'm forever grateful to have you in my life." Marinette murmured, her heart squeezing in her chest.

"Damn, you finally tied the knot." Nino chortled, slapping Adrien on the back as the blonde peered over to ogle his bride.

He simply couldn't get enough of her elegance, her beauty and her aura. She was such a magnetic person.

Adrien hadn't felt so lucky in his life. The last time he recalled being this happy, his son and his daughter were born.

"I just can't believe she said yes." Adrien replied, his green eyes following his father in law who approached the table.

Adrien pressed his lips together as Tom had reached his hand out to Marinette, kindly asking for a father and daughter dance.

Marinette subtly pulled away from Alya, smiling bashfully as she took her father's hand. Alya moved over, taking Louis into her arms and guiding him to the dance-floor alongside Marinette and her father.

"It was a given she was going to say yes." Nino explained. "She had always loved you. I think Louis brought you both together. You both grew and matured together. Granted you were forced to when Marinette became pregnant, but it worked out in good favour."

Adrien nodded, his eyes remaining on Marinette and her father as well as Alya and his son. He leaned into his seat, folding his arms with a grimace as his father was nowhere in sight.

He had no idea what his father could possibly be up to, but he couldn't understand what would keep him away from his own son's wedding. His green eyes glossed over the guests. Nathalie conversed with Audrey Bourgeois, Felix conversed with Luka and everyone else stuck among their sociable crowds.

"I'm sure my mother would have loved to be here. I know I would have loved her to be here." Adrien sighed, glancing away from the dance-floor and looking down at the table in front of him. "I know Nathalie stepped in to help raise me. But I was so caught up in having a mother figure, a maternal guidance...that I forgot that Nathalie wasn't my mother...she was just doing her job as my father's assistant."

Nino shook his head, leaning into the seat with a sigh of disapproval.

"I don't think you should beat yourself up for craving maternal guidance. You remember your mom. You had a relationship with her. She did things for you that you admired, that you appreciated, that you've grown accustomed to." Nino explained. "Its only natural to miss her, to miss her presence, to miss the things you do together or to crave that sort of guidance. You can't blame yourself for that."

Adrien glanced down, allowing Nino's words to sink into his brain. The male parted his lips, offering to make a rebuttal but he felt completely deflated. There was nothing more to say.

He knew it was fruitless, he was supposed to be happy on his wedding day. How could he let this ruin a memorable moment?

"Excuse me." A soft voice emanated, pulling both men out of their intense conversation.

Sabine smiled at the both of them, holding baby Emma in her arms securely. The woman glanced at Nino, quickly glancing down at Emma.

"Do you mind?" She asked, watching as Nino immediately shook his head and stood up swiftly.

"Of course I don't mind!" Nino exclaimed, holding his arms out to take baby Emma from Sabine. "I've been dying to dance with the little princess all night!"

Emma opened her green eyes, the baby offering her uncle Nino a toothless grin as he swooped the little one into his arms.

Nino nuzzled the little one, taking her onto the dance floor to dance alongside the others.

Adrien blinked, his heart squeezing into his chest as Sabine held out her hands to him with a warm smile.

Adrien swore his heart was ready to melt and spill out of his mouth as he curiously glanced down at her hand.

Sabine chuckled, taking the initiative and grabbing Adrien's hand. The smaller woman tugged the stubborn model out of his seat, forcing him to stand up.

"Care to dance with your new mom?" The woman mused, turning so that she could lead him to the dance floor.

The blonde nearly stumbled on his feet, completely stupefied by what she had just told him.

"My new mom?" He asked, his heart fluttering against his chest as Adrien placed his hands on to her back and she gently placed hers on his shoulders.

"That's right." Sabine assured, the smile never ceasing from her lips. "You've officially become apart of the family. You're just like one of my own."

Adrien smiled, swaying with her softly as he felt warmth in his chest.

Perhaps there were more than one upside to this night. Adrien realised that he didn't need to be sad. He was given many fresh starts before, but he never knew he would have a fresh start with a family outside of Marinette, Emma and Louis.

"I know no one could ever replace your mother; I don't have any intentions to either. But I want you to know that you can come to me for anything. I know you love your mother and father, but Tom and I will do anything in our power to ensure you and Marinette are happy. You're welcome to our home at any time."

Adrien chuckled, tears nearly pooling in his eyes as his heart felt so full. He knew Sabine didn't have the intent to replace his mother, but she was almost like his mom. She was warm, she was sweet and she had all the attributes of a parent he craved. He needed her in his life, and though she was his wife's mother, he could see her as the maternal figure he had been missing out on.

Adrien immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling the smaller woman into a tight hug.

A small blush dusted his cheek as Sabine reciprocated the gesture.

"Thank you..." Adrien breathed, so filled with bliss he didn't want this night to end. "Thank you so much."

Sabine hugged him tightly, swaying him side to side as the two remained silent for a long moment. She leaned into him, closing her eyes as she allowed Adrien to relish in his newfound happiness.

"Ahem..."

Adrien opened his eyes at the sound of his wife's voice. He bashfully pulled away, a deep blush brewing onto his cheeks as he glanced over towards his wife who giggled softly.

"Do you mind if I cut in?" Marinette asked watching as her mother placed a gentle kiss on Adrien's cheek before she turned to Marinette. Sabine pressed a soft kiss to Marinette's cheek before Adrien took his place at her side.

"I don't mind at all." She murmured softly, glancing back and forth between Marinette and Adrien. "If you guys need me or Tom, we'll be at the table to serve the cake."

Marinette smiled at her mother, leaning into Adrien as she rested her temple to his chest.

"Of course, Mama." She murmured, blushing as Adrien placed his hand onto her hip.

Adrien kissed Marinette's head as Sabine left the bride and groom to be alone on the dance-floor.

"I see you've gotten close to my mom." Marinette commented as Adrien tugged her against his body.

Marinette habitually wrapped her arms around his neck and held him closer to her. She bit her lip as the two began to naturally dance.

"Yeah." Adrien replied, a small smile on his lips. "She told me that she considers me as her son, and that if I ever need anything both your parents would be available to ensure that we have support and that they'll ensure our happiness."

Marinette smiled, her hand slowly reaching up to cup his face. She tiptoed slowly, her lips touching his lips in a sweet kiss before she settled on to the floor once more.

"I'm proud of us." Marinette murmured. "We've been through many ups and downs, but we finally made it."

Adrien nodded, leaning forward to rest his head on to hers.

"Alya was right." He whispered. "We've been through hell and back, we both saw and experienced things we shouldn't have. I'm glad that everything worked out the way that it did, and I've learned a lot of things along the way."

Marinette subtly nodded, her hands resting against the back of his neck and she closed her eyes.

"I'd like to think we matured since the very first time our adventure began. That night in the Bourgeois hotel when we tried to find smoke girl." She whispered. "It's been a crazy adventure, but I'm ready to continue into my future with you. I've only ever dreamt of this moment, but I'm so happy it finally came true."

Adrien reached up, placing his hand onto the back of her neck and angling her face just merely inches away from his.

"I love you, Mrs. Marinette Agreste..." Adrien murmured against her lips.

Marinette smiled against his lips as they continued to sway side to side.

"I love you too, my husband, Mr. Adrien Agreste..." she replied back in a soft whisper.

Adrien chuckled, leaning forward to press a passionate kiss against her beautiful pink lips.

And in that moment, the two lovers danced into their little piece of forever...

THE END


	26. Epilogue

Marinette sighed as she placed a box down onto the pink counter of her new boutique.

She reached up to wipe the sweat off her brow and ran a hand through her bangs to allow some air on to her skin.

She appreciated that her parents offered to take care of both Emma and Louis while she was away and setting up. Marinette was more than pleased with how it was slowly coming together.

She had so many helpful people in her life, she couldn't have asked for a better crowd.

"Marinette!" Felix rasped, stepping into the boutique with a large mirror. His cheeks grew pink from the warmth and exercise, and Marinette could tell he was struggling with the heavy object.

"Where do you want this?"

Her blue eyes widened as Luka followed close behind Felix. He reached down, grabbing the mirror to even out the weight so that Felix wouldn't drop it

"Actually! That could go into the back room!" Marinette instructed nervously. She bit her lip, watching as both men began to carry the large mirror towards the back. "Be careful!" She breathed, flinching as Felix knocked his head on a shelf by the door.

Marinette sighed, a warm smile on her lips as Nino walked by her, holding a couple of boxes into the designer's worker's room. She could feel the excitement bubble into her toes. She had a boutique to run and she had a whole two stories to herself.

Marinette had planned to make the entire first floor all about her clients and the second floor all about working. She was going to sew and create her clothing upstairs and she had a model who could display them for her.

She clasped her hands together, a small blush dusting her freckled cheeks.

"Enjoying the sweaty men view?" Adrien asked, his voice immediately drawing her from her dream thought. "I mean, there are a lot of us here today."

Marinette sighed, rolling her eyes at her husband's remark. She glanced over to him, reaching over to fix the wrinkles on his T-shirt.

"Yes, because that's why I asked for all this help." She replied, giggling softly before she stood on her tippy toes and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

Adrien chuckled against her lips, placing his hand on her lower back and kissing her in return.

Marinette furrowed her brow as she felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. She subtly pulled away from Adrien who whined in disappointment.

"Oh...come on. I thought I'd get more kisses when we got married." Adrien retorted playfully.

Marinette hummed, sliding her phone out of her back pocket and glancing at the screen. She pursed her lips, her thumb scrolling through the messages on her phone.

"Its my mom." Marinette explained. "Louis started throwing up." She glanced up at him with a small smile before she leaned into him. "But don't worry, I'll give you a ton of kisses when I come back. We can call it a day for now."

Adrien frowned, placing his hand on her waist once more as he worried about his son back at his in laws.

"Oh. So you're gonna leave me here with the ghost?"

Marinette pouted and she wrapped her arms around him.

"You can always come with me. We can send the guys home and we can finish up tomorrow."

Adrien shook his head, dropping his hands from her waist with a weary smile.

"Its fine, don't worry about it. I'll clean around a bit while you're out. That way we won't waste anymore time and we'll do less tomorrow when we come back."

Marinette pursed her lips, slowly moving away from him as she placed her phone back into her pocket.

"Are you sure?" She asked, perking her brow as she ignored the noise that Nino, Felix and Luka made while they put things away.

Adrien nodded, placing his hands into his pockets. "Yeah! I think it'll be fine. Just make sure Louis is okay. I hope he isn't catching a bug."

Marinette shook her head, placing one last kiss to his lips before she reached over towards the counter with her purse.

"I'm sure he was just running around too much." Marinette explained, moving over towards the door. "I won't be long. I promise."

Adrien watched her, nodded his head with taut lips as Marinette smiled at him.

"I love you." Adrien murmured, his skin growing warm with the way his wife smiled at him. "I'm madly in love with you."

Marinette bit her lip, glancing down bashfully at her ring before she looked up at him again.

"I love you too. I'm madly in love with you as well."

Adrien watched as his wife left. The blonde glanced around the room, his lips remaining taut as he was searching for something to do. Adrien began to wander around the counters, moving boxes and putting things in their place.

He wasn't sure how Marinette wanted the place to be decored, but he figured he could let her do it when they came back.

"Hey! We're going out to get something to drink." Luka called out, walking into the front from with Nino and Felix.

"Do you want to come with?" Nino chimed in, reaching up to wipe the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

Adrien glanced back at them, lightly shaking his head as he dug through a box for cleaning supplies.

"I'm alright. I already promised Marinette that I'd clean up for her while she was out." Adrien explained, reaching into the boxes to retrieve the window cleaner. "I figured that's all left to do."

"Do you want us to grab you something if you cant come with?" Felix mused, raising a brow. "I can bring back a lemonade or something."

Adrien shrugged, tugging out some paper towels. "Yeah, I guess that's okay."

Luka glanced back at the others, before he turned around to exit. The other men followed suit, finally leaving Adrien to be alone in the building.

He sprayed the windows, whistling to himself as he wiped away the dust, making the place seem more lively and less abandoned.

Adrien folded the paper towel, moving to the other window but paused when he heard something.

He furrowed his brow, glancing behind him quickly to see who could have been there. His heart ached in his chest as he inwardly cursed himself for asking Plagg and Tikki to stay with the kids.

Adrien worried that someone else was in the building with him, and a shiver of fear began to roll down his spin.

He gulped, resuming his work on the windows. He slowly sprayed each panel, wiping away the cobwebs and the dust on the glass.

Adrien joked with Marinette about there being a ghost in the building. After all, the woman who owned the shop next door said so. When he was younger, he couldn't ever recall there being such stories when he came to visit with his mother.

But he seriously couldn't believe there was a ghost in the building. It had to be a myth. Adrien didn't believe in ghosts.

Adrien jumped, his heart hammering against his ribcage as he heard the noise once more.

There was someone there.

There just had to be.

Adrien glanced up, his eyes scowling across the ceiling as he heard walking around on the second floor. He clenched his jaw, rage and curiosity pumping through his veins.

If there was a ghost in the building, he sure as hell hoped they'd cross to the other side before she opened shop. If there was a burglar in the building, well...they would be wishing they were dead soon.

Adrien placed the cleaning supplies down, his lips pressing together as he wandered towards the steps in the backroom. His eyes remained fixated on the room upstairs and he exhaled.

He began to trembled, fear bubbling through him as he heard walking again.

Adrien very carefully made his way up the stairs, the male evening his breath as he grew closer and closer to the door on the second floor.

His eyes widened, his fists clenching as he witness shadows from beneath the door.

There was someone in there with him.

Adrien reached for the doorknob, his hand trembling as he laced his finger around the metal material.

He squeezed on to the knob, carefully turning it and tugging the door open.

Beside the window, Adrien could see the woman.

He could see the ghost that everyone was talking about.

She glanced at him, a warm smile on her lips as it nearly sent Adrien to his knees. She was so real, it was sure to move Adrien to believe in ghosts.

Except this wasn't a ghost. This was real, and Adrien knew exactly who this woman was.

He let go of the door, his eyes remaining on her as she stood up and held her arms out to him.

Adrien remained completely stupefied as the woman glanced at him. It was almost like she had been waiting for him for such a long long time.

He let go of the door, tears pooling in his eyes as he was finally able to speak.

"M-Mom...?"


End file.
